Mr. Tony O'Brien:

We reported on the matter fully to the committee before Christmas following the initial presentation of the audit. There are 143 individuals involved. The fact that they are in receipt of an unauthorised payment is, in most cases, not their own doing. One must recognise that the responsibility lies with those who governed the institutions and who made the decisions to pay rather than the persons who accepted offers of employment at a rate that may have been above that which was approved by the HSE, the Department of Health or the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Naturally, it is fair to say that this will have been a difficult period for the individuals at the centre of the issue. I know that some have decided to leave the service and others have decided to reduce their pay in line with the approved pay.