I welcome the commitment of the €340 million investment in research and development across Science Foundation Ireland, health research and Teagasc, as this will deliver long-term rewards. Next year, €10 billion will be spent on health. Health spending is up 43% in the three years since 2001, the most recent year for OECD statistics. No other European country has increased health spending at this rate. In France, for example, the government indicated that health spending increases in 2001 and 2002 of 4% at constant prices were "particularly steep".