Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Chairman raises a fair point. As far as I am aware, €52 million is exactly what the HSE asked for in terms of supplementary expenditure for pensions. If the individuals in question are legally entitled to lump sums, these sums should be paid. I would certainly not like the HSE to roll the payments into next year because every year is tight in health. I would prefer if the executive cleared all of its bills this year, rather than leaving some of them over to next year.

On retirements, I understand all employment contracts require three months notice. While it may be possible to change the period of notice to one year, this would require a change in contract. Requiring someone to give one year's notice before retirement would also have other consequences. Many retirements were linked to the Haddington Road agreement. Under the accelerated retirement process, people left the public service early and received a better pension.