Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand that, and I will not go on with this forever. However, the allowances percentage of total HSE wages is massively lower than equivalent figures elsewhere. That got me into working through how the HSE defines an allowance and what are the components of a HSE allowance. Following the hearings we have had so far, I observe that the HSE has a far narrower definition of what an allowance is than other bodies. Mr. O'Brien's equivalent in the Prison Service told us that the service needs to have people working at night and they make that happen by paying an allowance.