Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a handwritten note I have provided to the committee because I believe it is important that members have access to all the key documents. I believe the date on that note is 15 December. The booklet referred to by that handwritten note does not contain the specific salary because no decision had been made at that point. Obviously, as Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Watt would have had an operational involvement through that time in respect of ensuring this process moved forward.

The Chairman will see clearly, however, that when it came to the decision point, one first has the email from the Secretary General to the Government to the secretary of the Top Level Appointments Committee, TLAC, confirming he and I had agreed the salary of €292,000. Then, the electronic submission that came up to me through the system was generated by the assistant secretary in the pay division side, which I dealt with directly.

I felt that was the most appropriate way to do things given that, as I said earlier, I knew there was a possibility Mr. Watt might be asked to go across to the Department of Health on an interim basis. It had not materialised up to that point and there was no certainty that it would. To be cautious and prudent, however, I took the view that I would deal directly with the Secretary General to the Government and the assistant secretary over pay policy in my Department when it came to the actual specific salary, which was put into the booklet on 23 December.