Ms Michele Monahan:

It was in the period from 2010 to 2016, which was when the last population dose survey was taken. There was an increase of 90% in the number of CT scans and a 12% increase in the number of CT scanners. We have 19 CT scanners per 1 million population. That includes the private sector. The equivalent figures for Korea, Iceland, Denmark and Spain are 38, 44, 40 and 18, respectively. The figure for Spain does not include private centres. As a person who has to deal daily with people seeking access to diagnostics, I would happily do anything I can. However, as Deputy O'Reilly noted, whatever staff one had on the floor on 31 December 2007 was taken as the new whole-time equivalent. If the unit had five more staff earlier in the year than on that day, its whole-time equivalent was reduced by five. That has not been restored. Every year, on 31 December, that is the new norm. The unit loses its position numbers and can have fewer staff this year than it had in the current or previous years. The volume of diagnostics increases by 10% by putting more and more pressure on the system and the scanners. The majority of CT scanners in use here were installed in 2009. Their sell-by date was 2017 and we have no hope of replacing them.