Mr. Tony O'Brien:

As part of the agreed process with the former chairman, whereby the category C requirements were fulfilled - they are very specific in terms of the public interest being served and about maintaining skills - it was agreed that such applications would be made and that, on a phased basis, they would ensure appropriate compliance in the case of other consultants, that is, they would progressively ensure they were working in the public hospital. A number of category C applications have been made by St. Vincent's University Hospital. They require the approval of the hospital and the consultant and involve some other approval processes. They are referred to a type C committee and ultimately come to me for approval. In the absence of full disclosure and being able to truly assess the impact on the overall operation of the public hospital, clearly I am not in a position to bring these applications to finality. I have advised the consultants accordingly.