Mr. David Walsh:

I will open on that and then hand over to my colleague, Dr. MacLellan. There are close and tight links between the Department of Health and the HSE. The Department has a clear role in the development of policy and the monitoring of the HSE's implementation of that policy. In every section of the Department, there are clear links to the corresponding section of the HSE and we work continually throughout the year on relevant issues. In recent weeks, it has been around the winter plan and the structures around the implementation of the recommendations of this review.

There are longer-term issues, such as the development of how we provide home support, which will be a key facet of how we alter the model of care for older persons in this country, and the Department has a key role in this. Its role is as key as that of the HSE in implementation. I will hand over to Dr. MacLellan.