Mr. Martin Varley:

Our major concern with regard to discontinuing to take income from privately insured patients through their health insurers is that it will create a loss of approximately €7 billion per decade at a time when we need substantial investment in capacity in beds, diagnostics and equipment that is crumbling. We are very concerned that the funding will not be put in place to provide the replacement equipment that is long overdue, the 2,600 additional beds that are in the national development plan, which will cost €2.6 billion, and the staff for those beds. If we were convinced that the funding would be provided, we would examine how to do all the things that are recommended in Sláintecare and engage very positively in that regard. We have a genuine concern that the funding will not be provided and we do not have the luxury of rejecting €7 billion in a decade that we otherwise need.