Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept that the letter of intent certainly referenced the funding. As the Deputy says, it was linked to Dr. Holohan. I have two points to make. I agree that the funding was linked to one individual leading the funding. It is important that we bear in mind that if the funding had gone through the Estimates process and been agreed, it would have gone through the Health Research Board. The HRB would have put forward an open domestic and international competition for researchers and academics in Ireland and potentially from abroad.