David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With respect, the details are in the letter Mr. Watt sent. I want to read the letter that Mr. Watt sent so that we are all clear of what it is. It states:

Under the proposed agreement, the Department of Health commits to...

Make an annual ring-fenced allocation of €2M for the duration of the secondment, to be administered through the Health Research Board, a body under the aegis of the Department of Health.

Mr. Watt is committing €2 million of funding from the Health Research Board to Trinity College in a letter for which he did not get any ministerial approval. He did not inform the Minister or this committee about it. In his opening statement, he has said that this will need to be approved retrospectively through the Estimates process. It is breathtaking arrogance that a Secretary General would sign off on expenditure of €2 million without getting any approval from a Minister or from Government. He thinks he has the authority to make a commitment in writing to pay potentially €20 million of taxpayers' money to a third level institution without any ministerial approval and not even to inform the Minister when he was responding to the media on the issue.