Laurence MacKenzie said he believed firmly in the principles of responsibility and accountability The chief executive of Northern Ireland Water, Laurence MacKenzie has resigned following water shortages for tens of thousands of homes over Christmas.
His departure was announced after an eight-hour meeting of the NI Water board of directors.
In a statement the Department for Regional Development said NI Water had asked the minister to approve Mr MacKenzie contractual entitlement.
"This contractual entitlement is not a golden handshake," it said.
It continued: "The minister will be seeking legal advice and liaising with Department of Finance and Personnel to satisfy himself that as advised by the NIW board this is the minimum contractual entitlement."
The statement also said the minister wants to ensure Mr Mackenzie remains "available to assist the review" being initiated by the Executive.
NI Water was criticised for failing to prepare properly for disruption following December's heavy snowfall.
Half-a-million litres of water had to be sent from Scotland to Belfast as supplies began to run out.
The resignation of Laurence MacKenzie was widely predicted. As chief executive of Northern Ireland Water, he was the man in charge when the water began to run out.
After Stormont ministers last week described the company's performance as "shambolic", it was clear his days in the job were numbered.
But Northern Ireland Water is a state-owned company, and the minister in charge of water, Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy, is still facing calls for his own resignation.
Unionists say they intend putting down a motion of no confidence in him in the Assembly. But the move is unlikely to have any impact.
The complicated rules at Stormont mean that Mr Murphy's job is safe unless his own party turns on him. In effect, only Gerry Adams can sack Conor Murphy. And with an Assembly election only four months away, that is not likely to happen.
There were complaints from the public about a lack of information from Northern Ireland Water as 40,000 homes and businesses were without supplies at one stage.
Phone lines were jammed and the company website lacked up-to-date information.
After more than 10 days of disruption, just 33 households in Northern Ireland are now without a full water supply.
Mr MacKenzie said in a statement: "This is entirely my own decision. I believe firmly in the principles of responsibility and accountability. It is for that fundamental reason I have decided to pursue this course of action.
He added: "I readily accept and recognise that there were aspects of the way in which we handled the situation that could have been better.
"In particular our ability to communicate with our customers and let them know the reasons for and the times at which they were going to be taken off supply.
"This failing added to the considerable inconvenience experienced by our customers -
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