Mr. Jim Breslin:

The question arose as to how much of the cost of the children’s hospital would have to be carried by the health budget and how much would be supported by additional Exchequer funding. In 2019, that broke down as €75 million additional Exchequer and €25 million health funding. This year is fine. The issue is, however, that if one kicks off a project at the end of 2019, it will need to be paid for in 2020. That required a reflection on what those allocations would be. That required an overall fiscal look at it by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. He has done that and has put a reserve in for the children’s hospital and broadband for €200 million. The children’s hospital is a large project. If it was to go quickly or slowly, the pace could have a distorting effect on all of the other health projects. The reserve removes the risk and makes it much easier for us to conclude this process.