James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In respect of the latter point, I have made it very clear in this House that this is a priority of mine. Obviously, I am not going to discuss the service plan and specifics around it here today before I have had a chance to see what is in the service plan and to present it to my Cabinet colleagues. The Deputy asked a question about the figure of €666 million versus the figure of €1 billion mentioned by Mr. Tony O'Brien, the director general of the HSE at the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. The figure of €666 million is the budget target savings we must make and which were given to us by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The figure of €1 billion alluded to by Mr. O'Brien included all sorts of other issues, pressures and developments that might take place. What he was alluding to is the swing of €1 billion so I hope that explains the difference between the two figures.

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