Mr. Gerry Quinn:

We must take account of the nature of the cases. The Deputy is seeing the outcome. The process involved tends to be quite long. Each case tends to go through multiple stages. We must protect our employees. We have a duty to ensure that employees in the organisation have a right to appeal and access to grievance procedures. They are entitled to representation through these procedures. When something gets to the end of such a process, there can be quite an amount of legal involvement if the individual decides to take legal representation. We must also recognise that all these cases involved negotiated settlements. There is no rulebook to be taken down which outlines the amount of money that applies in particular circumstances. These arrangements were negotiated by our legal advisers with the legal advisers of the individuals involved. I accept the legal costs were high, but they are the legal costs associated with settlements of these nature, particularly if one gets to the steps of the High Court.