Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms McGuinness for that. I made my point. Mr. O'Brien may not have considered it to be sneaky but the reason I make that charge - perhaps it is more correctly said to the Department of Health - is because questions had been asked repeatedly in terms of from where these 40,000 reductions were coming. The over 70s matter was flagged comprehensively and was understood, but in the case of the additional portion it was like trying to get the third secret of Fatima.

On the previous occasion Mr. O'Brien was before the committee, in the committee's report in respect of the HSE we had raised the issue of consultants signing off on private insurance forms and the difficulties arising from that. Can Mr. O'Brien update us on where that sits now? Are they complying with it? Are they doing it within the 14-day window? Are there still moneys outstanding and if so, how much?