I thank the Deputy for the question and the issues that he raised. This year's overall health budget is about €22.5 billion. Allowing for the €2 billion that has been removed and transferred to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for disability services, that is the highest ever allocation for health. Since this Government came to office in June 2020, there have been increased budget allocations of approximately €7.4 billion. That is since 2019, and does not include the funding for disability services. It is important to point out that there has been a lot of increased activity as a result of that spending and people have benefited greatly from it. We removed inpatient hospital charges, for example. We had the biggest expansion of access to free GP care in the history of the State when we made an additional 500,000 people eligible. Therefore, 60% of our population now hold a GP card or medical card. We reduced costs relating to the drug payment scheme costs. Diagnostic scans for patients have been funded. Free contraception up to the age of 31 was introduced. For the first time ever, we are publicly funding assisted human reproduction. There is a new consultant contract to which up to 700 consultants having already signed up. There has been a reduction in waiting times and waiting lists following the build-up that occurred during Covid-19.

The community health service has expanded, with an entirely new programme, particularly in the areas of chronic disease management and primary care, older persons and ambulance services. The community care piece is very important because it was always hit by ongoing increased expenditure on the acute side.

Some 22,000 staff have been added since 2020 and about 1,000 extra beds have been put in, significantly also in ICU. That said, it is worth pointing out that life expectancy improved over a 20-year period. We now have one of the highest life expectancies in the EU. That is positive and not disconnected to significant increases in health expenditure. Also, the way we live our lives has changed. I welcome all the young people and children who are here visiting us. Lifestyle matters and eating good diet matters - seriously. Healthy behaviour matters in terms of lifespan. We have dramatically changed our cancer outcomes. Our heart disease and stroke outcomes have dramatically improved. That has led to better longevity.

The Deputy's point is valid, namely, that there be an evaluation of the funding and the amount of money that goes into the health service in order to improve efficiency in terms of the spending of that money.

The Minister has commissioned a detailed study on the future costs of healthcare-----

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