Mr. Tony O'Brien:

The Deputy knows what the full-capacity protocol is but, for the benefit of other members, it is a way of ensuring that when emergency departments become overheated that the problem is not contained in the emergency department but is shared across the hospital. It is certainly true that a number of hospitals have been close to or on full capacity protocol for much of the year. That is why they are included in a list of nine priority sites that we are seeking to address this year as part of the winter initiative. This is a symptom of a system that is too acute sector focused and is at the heart of the need to transform the system to a more primary care focused system. What the Deputy is saying is correct. I am not disagreeing with her in any respect but I am saying it is very much a symptom of the way the overall system is functioning, which is not as it needs to function in the future.