Mr. Stephen Mulvany:

There is simply not enough funding for us to do so. Were we to hold such a contingency provision, how would it work? If at the centre of the HSE we were holding a large contingency provision and that was known, it could cause all sorts of motivational and other challenges. Whether we should, the reality is that we do not and we call it out in the service plan which is approved on that basis. I would be much happier if we did have such a provision. I do not know whether there is a contingency provision held somewhere outside the health service, but we do not hold one, as is stated very clearly in the service plan.