Since February 2011, a total of €82,000, exclusive of VAT, has been paid to the company to which the Deputy refers for services provided under a three-year contract entered into with effect from 26 March 2012. The contract is for the contracted company to provide services required to fulfil the role specified for the Director of Performance Improvement for Unscheduled Care within the Special Delivery Unit of the Department of Health. The contract is for an all-in price of €492,000 over the full duration of the contract or €164,000 per annum. The role is full time and the contractor, Ms Lis Nixon, is based in Dublin on a full time basis. Ms Nixon has an extremely impressive CV and was appointed through an open and transparent procurement process. An earlier open recruitment process failed to secure a candidate of sufficient calibre.