Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The situation as has emerged has not changed the position in respect of this matter. The correspondence simply reflects the fact that the FÁS director general's severance arrangements were informed by what he could have claimed under the 1998 guidelines if his contract had been terminated. It has been quite clear all along that the terms he received were broadly in line with what he might have sought if the contract had been ended by the FÁS board.

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