Ms Ann Nolan:

I think if Mr. Cushnahan had still been on a Northern Ireland committee in March 2014 at the time when I found out about this proposal that he might have had a payment To be honest, until I saw the letter from PIMCO I never knew there was any suggestion of a payment while he was still on the committee, which is even worse - it is not good in either sense, but a payment while he was still on the committee would have been completely outrageous, and probably illegal.

I better not say that. I withdraw that comment. Obviously, I would have advised the Minister to ask him to step down and to report the matter, if I thought something illegal had happened, to the authorities.