Mr. Robert Watt:

No, I did not warn RTÉ because it is not for me to issue warnings. As I said in response to earlier questions, I set out our concerns that the allegations were extremely serious, that we took them seriously, that we did not believe that the allegations had merit and that there was not sufficient evidence to justify them being broadcasted.

I regret now that we were not more forceful in responding to RTÉ before the programme. Colleagues probably share that too. We should have been more forceful with RTÉ because I do not believe the programme can stand up. Obviously, we are concerned about the impact it has had with trust and the implications of that, as raised in Deputy Gino Kenny's earlier question on trust.

There were no warnings given. I set out, which I think was reasonable to do on behalf of the Department of Health, that we did not believe the allegations and that the information we had to hand did not support what was being argued.