Mr. Kieron Brennan:

On the Senator's questions regarding income and staff contracts, the decision was in regard to 16 of the tier three large AHBs, the majority of which are general needs suppliers, as Mr O'Gorman stated. Some other AHBs supply specialist services to people with disabilities and other groups and receive specialist funding from the Government under those schemes. A different decision was made regarding two of those. The main on-balance sheet decision or recommendation was in respect of AHBs supplying general needs rather than specialist services. The two main sources of income of such AHBs are rental income from their tenants or, in our case, tenant members, and subvention via the local authorities for housing people who are on the waiting list. We are concerned that Ireland is being singled out in so far as income derived from tenants or tenant members was accounted for as State income in this exercise. It was calculated in that way and that is a major concern for us.

In terms of staff contracts, the CSO and others advise us that at this point the decision or recommendation that must be adjudicated upon by EUROSTAT relates only to the accounting for statistical purposes of the financial basis of AHBs, not to other contractual matters we have with third parties or to staff internally. However, we remain open the possibility that this may change.