Mr. John Hennessy:

I might refer to the resourcing issue that Professor Barry addressed. It is an accepted fact that the applications are increasing at a phenomenal rate and that we must resource that process. We are in considerable dialogue with the pharmaceutical industry on this front, and the committee will appreciate that the industry is concerned that the system is not able to cope with the demand and volume. The HSE has made a clear commitment to resource the process well so that delays do not occur for the want of resourcing at that level. I appreciate that not too many of the type of personnel needed for this work are walking around looking for employment. They are not easy to secure.