Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy makes a fair point. In considering the health Vote, we must accept the elephant in the room, which is that the health Vote is not configured along programme lines. The Department of Health is working towards the development of programme budgeting and changing the structure of the health Vote to reflect this. It will take some time though because the financial systems in the HSE will need to be adapted to allow for it in the context of the financial reform programme that is currently under way. In the interim though, the appendices to the Revised Estimates for the health Vote have been constructed along programme lines. I do not mean to comment in any way on the committee's briefing, but the way we have tried to present it in our departmental briefing endeavours to show the programme, the target, whether it was hit and where we are going to get to this year. In some ways, it may be a more useful document to have questions on. In terms of the changes in the presentation, I am informed that the Department has not changed the way we presented our briefing since last year.