Professor Don Barry:

We have made severance arrangements up to this point in time based on an understanding that if we had fulfilled the other criteria outlined in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report around best practice, that we did not require departmental approval for those. It has been made crystal clear to us and to the other universities in Ireland that such departmental approval is required. We accept that now but it came as a surprise to us. We were operating in good faith based on what we thought the Department's desires were-----