Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is exactly on the money. At a simple level, approximately one third of the overrun is due to demographics and an increase in patient demand. A second part of the overrun is price inflation. For example, medical and surgical supply prices increased significantly this year. A third part is a level of spending that arguably should not be happening. We are spending too much on agency staff and overtime, for example. There are savings that can and must be made. The parts are not mathematically a third each, but they are patient demand, price and a level of spending that we need to reduce and where we need to find savings so that we can provide more patient care for the same amount of money.