Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will go into that matter fully in a moment but, before I do so, the Deputy is right in saying that I am not in a position to tell him the total number of taxpayers that paid dividends across this period. I am, however, in a position to tell him the number of employers that returned money to the scheme due to decisions they made or because they were not able to comply with the criteria of the scheme I set up. The sum in question is €104 million. That shows that the design of the scheme and the reaction of many employers to it did work.

As regards his point in respect of from whom we received the advice, it was from the legal unit within my Department. As to whether I have been made aware of the advice, I have been made aware of it.