Some €60 million, the possible cost of a Government jet, would pay for an extension of the BreastCheck national cancer-screening programme to the west and south of the State, and the annual running cost of such an extension for four years.
For €60 million up to 18,000 operations could be carried out overseas under the National Treatment Purchase Scheme. Or 250,000 new medical cards could be paid for.
According to the Irish Patients' Association, the sum would buy 100,000 weeks of step-down facilities in nursing homes for long-stay hospital patients.
It would also fund sufficient resources in terms of staff and facilities to enable 4,000 additional surgeries per year to be carried out - a figure based on an average hospital stay of 4.5 days per surgery.
According to the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, €60 million would pay the salaries of 2,000 extra teachers for a year. It would also fund the renovation of 240 small schools with four or fewer teachers. That estimate is based on €5 million having been set aside for the renovation of 20 small schools in the current year.
Some €60 million would also be enough to establish a comprehensive network of educational psychologists and educational welfare officers nationwide, said the INTO.
The sum of €60 million would pay the annual overtime bill of every prison officer in Ireland or of every garda in the country for a year.
It would buy 12 new Garda helicopters, and would allow the Criminal Assets Bureau to double in size and fund the enlarged entity for 10 years at today's prices.
Alternatively, the €60 million would pay for 300 homes under the Government's social housing programme, or cover the €5 million cut from the Arts Council's budget this year, along with the agency's proposed €54 million 2003 budget promised - but not delivered - under the Government's arts plan.
