Former minister for health Micheál Martin is due to appear before a Dáil committee today to answer claims he knew about illegal nursing home charges.
Former Department secretary general Micheal Kelly yesterday insisted at the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that he informed Mr Martin of the nursing home charges twice.
Mr Kelly was removed from his post after the Travers Report into the illegal charging of pensioners criticised department officials over their handling of the affair.
The senior official also claimed that Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney had cancelled detailed briefings with senior officials that could have alerted her to the problems earlier.
Mr Kelly said that he was "quite clear" and in "no doubt" that he had alerted the then minister Mr Martin to the potential problems relating to the charges in December 2003 in the foyer of the Gresham Hotel and again the following February.
Mr Martin denies he was aware of the charges.