Mr. Liam Woods:

First, the body itself enjoys the right to sue and be sued. It is a sueable entity. I say that in response to the Deputy's earlier point. The board exists as a body under the Health (Corporate Bodies) Act 1961, so it is bound by public regulations. The financial procedures of the State are relevant. The proper governance and ethics codes that apply across all State entities apply to the board. The internal control environment, which was noted in the Comptroller and Auditor General's accounts as being the duty of the directors, applies too.

All of that comes under the banner of good governance for any publicly funded entity. Compliance with the rules for semi-state bodies is also a factor, which includes things like compliance with tax codes. The point being made about reckless trading is coming from the Companies Acts, so it is not a requirement. However, there is an equivalent, reckless trading in a public environment. That is about managing your resource, as the Chairman was saying, within the available limits and being prudent in the deployment of the resource. The board is funded by the HSE based on a capital plan approved by the Minister and it is controlled in that way.