Ms Clare McGrath:

That circular has now been replaced; it is one of 13. I mentioned in my opening address responsibility for the maintenance of accommodation. It is an unusual circumstance in that maintenance of accommodation, while undertaken by the Office of Public Works, is funded by Departments. That is the ongoing maintenance of the space they occupy. Since one of 13, we are now responsible for undertaking the maintenance and the funding, so there has been a transfer of funds through the Estimates process from the Votes of other Government Departments to the Office of Public Works. That will allow us to undertake planned interventions on the maintenance side rather than reactive and waiting. We would be surveying properties in a more programmed way and determining planned maintenance interventions, which is to protect the lifetime of the building because otherwise we are shoring up problems a number of years out if we do not undertake planned maintenance. While still having demands from Departments in relation to, say, leaks or other problems, and we would respond and fund that, we will now be able to undertake more planned interventions in relation to maintenance.