Mr. Paul Quinn:

I will get to that, Chairman. I was quite clear that the board was meeting frequently with the steering group and was communicating the issues that we had on hand, through those structures. As the Chairman reminded me, the appropriate Minister, as is set out in Government policy, is the Minister for Health. I would have been precluded from, and I would have been in breach not only of my obligations as a board member but of the law, if I were to report directly to the Secretary General or to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

When the matter of my appointment to the board and the discussions arose at this committee and other committees about my obligations was played out, I met the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, to explain what had happened. He supported my judgment as to what I did. He agreed that I had observed my obligations and he has said that publicly in the Oireachtas.