Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The assertion to which I refer is in a section of this report which is entitled "Key Audit Findings" so, therefore, those who carried out this audit obviously gave some level of merit to that claim. It is not surprising that records were not found in the Department of Health because it is stated very clearly that those discussions or agreements were not documented in Department of Health files. There is no surprise there. I put it to Dr. McLoughlin that in addition to an ambiguity or a lack of clarity on the issue of breaching public sector pay ceilings, it appears from my reading of this audit report over which the HSE and, presumably, the Department of Health stand, there was precisely that type of culture to use Dr. McLoughlin's words of nods or winks or, at the very least, informal discussions and sanction of local arrangements. That is my reading of this report.