Ms Susan Clyne:

Yes, we would like to see some elective-only hospitals in place. I do not think we spent long enough on the arrangement with the private hospitals in terms of deciding what everyone wanted from the system. The Government is going to end the agreement. We do not know what the new agreement will be.

The HSE, I suspect, had a vision or a plan to use these hospitals for elective work. We must do something rapidly about our waiting lists. However, even with the private hospitals, it is not a long-term or even a medium-term solution. There is still not enough capacity or consultants in the country when one adds the capacity in the public hospitals together with the private hospitals. We really have to invest in acute hospitals, in beds, and in consultants to deliver care to patients.