Mr. Tony O'Brien:

It was the subject of a Comptroller and Auditor General chapter that was considered by this committee on 26 January this year, if I am correct. I am not sure it bears directly on the financial position of the HSE this year, but I can say there has been extensive engagement and dialogue in respect of not only the totality of the centres but also the methodology by which each of them might most appropriately be delivered. Dr. McLoughlin has referred to the stimulus package, which is essentially what is known as a PPP, public-private partnership. These centres can be delivered by two other modalities: conventional capital build and by a process known as lease acquisition. There is a provision in the capital plan and this provision as well. Centres that might not be delivered by one mechanism could be delivered by another. We can look upon the stimulus package and the other provisions as mutual insurance policies against the failure to deliver any of the centres by one means or another, given that there are a huge amount of variables at play in respect of the methods by which these centres are developed. These variables include the willingness and participation of general practitioners, availability of lands in the right place and so on. It is quite a complicated picture.