Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Outside of the committee, we will pick up the consequences of this on the ground, as some of my colleagues have outlined. There have been references to the new model of care, where fewer children will be going to hospital. The damning reality is that fewer children will be going to hospital in other places because there will not be hospitals and projects will be stopped. I consider that in this context and I always consider it in terms of rent. Various organisations have appeared before the committee on the issue. Rent and the fit-out of an office were estimated at more than €500,000 in one year and, the following year, another €100,000 was estimated. Was there an alternative where money could have been saved rather than spending more than €500,000 on the fit-out of an office?