Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will. I am sorry about that; it is just that I am very passionate about democracy. I do not think we are getting much of it around this particular issue, I am sad to say. The circular states: "All secondments will be temporary in nature, and in general will be for a period of six months up to a maximum of five years." That is the very first key principle. How can Mr. Watt reconcile that with the idea of an open-ended term? The CMO has very kindly pointed out he is a good distance from his 40 years. Therefore, on top of proposing funding of €2 million per year, Mr. Watt was in effect proposing that should the CMO opt to retire in the interim — say, after five or six years — he would, under the special clause in the superannuation Act, bump up the 27 or 28 years to 40. Is that not correct? We know there is no precedent for this, because Dr. Holohan did not have a seven-year contract. We also know, from what I have just read out, that Mr. Watt was in clear breach of the circular.

Deputy Cullinane was quite clear in questioning Mr. Watt earlier to determine whether the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, had expressed any displeasure over this. Mr. Watt said "No" eventually. Was the CMO's secondment part of the Minister's agenda?