Mr. Martin Varley:

I will attempt to answer Deputy 'Donnelly's very direct questions, which are extremely important. First and foremost, regarding our spend and how it compares internationally, the Deputy is correct. We spent approximately €4.5 billion out of the €15 billion or so on acute hospitals and mental health services, so let us say approximately one third. Our analysis shows that we are in or around the middle. We are not overspending; in fact, we are probably underspending. The indicators are there: the beds, the occupancy and the low number of consultants. Where is the slack, then, for want of a better term? Part of this goes back to our infrastructure and organisational structure. The whole service has evolved through a series of reconfigurations and reorganisations. This exercise has not been carried out in a fashion that is reflective of what would happen in the real economy in terms of-----