Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am quite sure that they were right. However, the Deputy has raised a very fair question on whether capital is being provided. There is over €1 billion in the capital in the budget for next year. It is €1,35,000,000. There is €900 million for construction and equipping, €120 million for ICT and e-health, and another €15 million for agencies, so the capital is there. It is fair to say that what we are doing is that we are being very ambitious in terms of what we can do for patients, in respect of beds in the acute areas and the community, and in terms of hiring. As the Deputy will be aware, we are seeking to hire an additional 16,000 people. I believe that we have pushed it right to the edge of what is possible to do in one year. We have been very ambitious, and the focus now has to be on implementation.