Ms Rosarii Mannion:

Yes, I hope so. There is considerable context and background relating to this issue, as the committee will beware from previous interactions. At a previous committee hearing, information was furnished to members in respect of the internal audit and the outstanding recommendations. Two recommendations were not fully implemented at the time, May 2015. One of these related to the sizing and payments for staff in the section 38 agencies. A second issue related to 85 business cases. These would previously have been brought to the attention of committee members. HSE staff were engaging with colleagues in the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of a process around red-circling these business cases and ceasing these business cases, etc.

There was significant interaction between the HSE, the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform from September last year. On 14 September, the Department of Health furnished us with the relevant circular. We can establish this as we go on but it might be more helpful to committee members if we give the committee all this correspondence in one go because we may need to reference it. I have all the correspondence that I will be referring to before me. On 14 September, we received clarification from the Department of Health relating to the salary rates for chief executive appointments at section 38 agencies. On 3 September, we received interesting correspondence from the Department on how we would deal with unapproved allowances and remuneration levels in section 38 agencies. This gave us a mechanism to deal with the 85 business cases that had gone to the Department of Health which I have referenced. Using the criteria set out in this circular from the Department, we were able to analyse each of the 85 business cases and make determinations on them. We have done that. I have each of the decisions set out on a decision template. This is complex.