Mr. Tony O'Brien:

I would not say we do not have any hand, act or part in it. We certainly engage in significant discussions about it.

I was making the point that any public body, including the HSE, may carry out an exercise to decide what it needs to provide all services and deal with other pressures. There is an expectation that the State is in a position to provide that exact sum of money and that everything will be happy thereafter. That is not how it works.

The question on the financial system relates to our ability to produce timely, accurate financial data that will aid the process of budget management and help avoid issues of unauthorised payments through payroll. These are important but not entirely linked issues.