Dr. Cathal O'Donnell:

That may be a factor. It may also be related to perceptions about delays in emergency departments. There is a false perception that if a patient is brought to an emergency department as opposed to presenting directly, he or she will be seen quicker. That is not the case; patients are treated on the basis of clinical need. I honestly do not know why we have experienced an increase of 10%. We expect the figure to rise by 2% to 3% year on year. The increase this year is excessive and I suspect it can be attributed to a number of factors.