Mr. Tony O'Brien:

In regard to 2011, I have itemised the specific line items that gave rise to the Supplementary Estimates. If we break them down, €58 million arose directly from a lower than anticipated uptake in the early retirement and voluntary redundancy schemes. In that instance it is a mismatch between the expected number who would avail of the schemes and the number who did. To that extent one could say there was an inadequacy in the estimation of the outflow and therefore the resulting financial impact. A total of €90 million was to meet deficits in services which means that the cost of those services exceeded what was expected. I refer in particular to community drugs schemes which were demand-led. One could take the view either that those responsible for preparing the estimate of the likely cost of those under-shot, let us put it that way, or one could take the view that insufficient money was provided. That is very much a judgment call.

If one looks back at the year and taking account of what in relative terms was a small return of funding proportionate to the overall funding, it was necessary for there to be a Supplementary Estimate for the HSE's vote to be balanced in that year.