Mr. Stephen Mulvany:

Typically, overall, agency is currently some 5% of our total pay cost, and we would prefer it not to be. Where it is most worrying is in regard to medical costs, where agency is more like 14% of our total pay cost. While I do not have the specific figures for Waterford, I would hazard a guess that it is an increase in medical agency, which is a large part of the driver. Generally speaking, I can say for almost any grade that the cost of agency versus the cost of flat-rate hours - the normal hours - is definitely higher.