Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I have one more question. I would like to know if there will be new contracts.

If there are to be new contracts, we would have the power to stipulate public-only contracts. We would not have to have it in a two-tier form. I would appreciate if Mr. Mulvany could get back to us on that.

The HSE does not want to call them cutbacks because of the impact of the deficit. When talking about the savings that may be necessary, they are referred to as "interventions". That is a nice euphemism for cuts. The interventions to deal with the deficit of staffing and savings will be in the areas where most of the overruns occur, which are listed as disability services, acute hospitals, the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, and overseas treatments. Is that correct? Are those the areas in which the interventions, which the HSE does not want to call cuts, will take place in order to meet the deficit? Will that not inevitably worsen the situation for patients in those areas?