Mr. Colm Desmond:

We have a shift towards an aging population and we are seeing the pressure coming through in the general medical schemes, the home helps and the older person's budgets. I agree there are issues in respect of the analysis but it is a comparison that is difficult to judge and bears a good deal more research.

There is a general overall demographic increase due to population increase. We are seeing the aging population beginning to have an impact on the overall budget and it will not decrease. We are also seeing very high occupancy within the hospital system and upwards of 94% occupancy compared to 77% in other European member states. We have significant pressure there due to the lack of appropriate community and primary care services which might relieve that. There are a number of factors that might complicate the analysis.