The Health Service Executive has confirmed that a senior executive is to get a redundancy package of almost €400,000.
Dean Sullivan was appointed six years ago as HSE Deputy Director General with an annual salary of around €200,000.
HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said that this agreement is based on a mediation process that provides for confidentiality.
He said it was approved at all appropriate levels including the departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform.
The HSE has been undergoing structural reform including the establishment of six Regional Health Officers, to lead the new health regions.
The HSE said that during the course of Mr Sullivan's time with the HSE, he contributed to a number of key developments including the development of the first board strategic scorecard process to assist in overall governance of the organisation.
It added that on this occasion, it has the agreement of its former employee to waive the confidentiality in respect of the amount and only the amount of €388,983, not on any other aspect of the content of the agreement.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said the HSE is being slimmed down and the role held by Mr Sullivan is being made redundant.
He said he was not aware of any other HSE redundancy packages, but added there could be more to come as part of the planned reforms.
Payment in line with Govt policy - Donohoe
Earlier, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe said Mr Sullivan's redundancy payment was the outcome of a legal process and in line with Government policy for such redundancy programmes.
He said there were two elements to the deal made with Mr Sullivan, the legal element and the severance element.
"The severance element of it is completely in line with our policy regarding redundancy programmes and then the severance element was the outcome of a legal process. All of this is in line with how these matters are dealt with and the cost of it is being made publicly available," Mr Donohoe said.
Asked during a visit to Waterford city if he felt the amount involved was appropriate, Mr Donohoe said: "This is the outcome of a legal process and I think the important thing is to recognise that there was a legal component to all of this, that was the outcome of a mediation process that was chaired by a senior counsel and then all of the severance elements of it are in line with the relevant HR policy for our public service.
"What we are doing is that information is being made publicly available so that there is transparency in terms of how the matter concluded."
Asked if he felt confidentiality should be waived in other situations, including the redundancy packages agreed with departing RTÉ executives, the minister said: "I am aware of the importance of transparency in these matters and of course this has been highlighted by the recent public debate regarding RTÉ.
"With regard to the RTÉ settlements, I do have to respect the legal advice that defined the conclusion of those processes, but here as this was the outcome of a legal process it has been agreed that there can be transparency around the outcome. I think that is appropriate."
In relation to the wider issue of redundancy packages for public servants, he said that people leave "on a very, very regular basis" across public service organisations.
"All of these departures happen in accordance with the relevant human resources policy and the circulars in the area and these departures do regularly happen. What is happening here today is that information is being made transparent and the cost of it is being made transparent."
Additional reporting Conor Kane
