Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcomed the report and everything Mr. O'Loughlin has just outlined going forward. I do not accept, however, that we should not be looking back and only be looking forward. Some €141,000 of State, taxpayer and public money was paid, which was not sanctioned by HRI. It was accounted for, “as being part of the Voluntary Redundancy and Early Retirement Scheme payments”. Was there any effort to get that money back? It was not part of the package. Who decided to pay it? When a payment like this is discovered, on the back of a report which is basically saying that it was mis-accounted, you cannot move on. We are responsible for the public purse. I cannot walk out of here this evening and say this will never happen again, that there was €141,000 and I am happy in the knowledge that it is never going to happen again. I cannot do that. I take my job seriously. I am responsible to ask the questions on behalf of the taxpayer who paid that €141,000 at the end of the day.