I want to look at the issue of value for money. Cost is a very important issue in the current debate and has arisen regularly. According to the Minister's departmental figures, the cost per patient in 2001 in a major teaching hospital was €558 compared to €391 in a county hospital. The amount of time spent by patients in county hospitals is invariably shorter than in major teaching or voluntary hospitals. Nenagh hospital, on a budget of €15 million last year, was able to deliver 3,000 acute medical admissions, 1,500 acute surgical admissions, 2,400 day cases and 11,000 accident and emergency cases. The hospital has a large outpatient service, including ShannonDoc and a primary care unit which could be upgraded and expanded.