Mr. Adrian Kane:

I will deal with the first part of the Deputy's question and then I will ask Mr. King and our colleagues from Fórsa to respond to the second element of his question relating to reform. The community-based organisations in Laois-Offaly did not believe they were in a position to tender because of the construction of tender one, the financial risks that would befall the organisations and the capital that was needed, in terms of money upfront, to provide the service. They took the decision, having been in that space for in excess of 20 years, that they could not continue because they were not in a position to submit a tender. Some other organisations took a different decision but the Laois-Offaly organisation believed it was not in a position to apply for the tender. These are experienced and professional people who have been providing the service for over 20 years.