Mr. Robert Watt:

I think the Minister has confirmed that he was told there was an issue at a meeting on 9 November. The Minister called me about it and I said I would speak with officials the following week. Discussions were taking place. We decided that we needed a detailed report and we got a report on 19 November. Our colleagues sat down on 23 November and we gave a detailed submission to the Minister a few days later setting out the chapter and verse of our exact position.

Why would the Department not have been told earlier? There is a report from 27 August, which went to the Department of Health, confirming at that stage there was an overrun of €191 million and that BAM had served notice of an extra charge of approximately €200 million. It was being disputed but €191 million was confirmed at that point in late August 2018. Why would that information not make its way to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform?