Ms Laverne McGuinness:

It is just a validation and verification. The details were required back by our human resources, HR, directorate on 1 July, which is only the day before yesterday, so what I have is very interim and some of the numbers in it could change.

To recap on the posts over the past number of months, we have been working with the section 38 agencies to get details of where salaries are over and beyond what has been set as public pay policy for their respective grade at this point in time. We have done a full assessment. We have asked for all the details from each of the individual organisations. The HSE then set up a review panel internally consisting of a number of senior management teams to go through the documentation submitted by each of those organisations. Organisations were asked at the time whether there were contractual obligations, the form the contract took, and if there was a business case to be put forward - all the various documentation.

At a high level, 202 business cases were received from the organisations across the sector and 143 of those were received in respect of senior managers, that is, those managers above grade 8 level. Fifty-nine in respect of the salary level below grade 8 level were received.

The internal review panel met in April and a period of three months was given to come into compliance with public pay policy or else to produce whatever necessary documentation they felt did not help them to do that. In terms of where we are at a high level in that regard, 43 of those payments have ceased in total. We have had confirmation back that they have ceased in total and withdrawn payments of that nature.