Ms Jennifer Van Aswegen:

That is okay. I thank Ms Rosaleen Doonan who has probably covered the area I had intended to address. The first point is on the economic rationale. If one looks at page 9 of the report, it reflects the tip of the iceberg of the economic rationale based on investing in carers now in order to prevent them becoming a burden on the health system through burnout and increasing the care burden. That makes absolute economic sense. Deputy Murphy referred to it in terms of counting beans. Such investment makes total financial and economic sense in order to prevent a landslide at the other end and in terms of the burden on the health service. Ms Doonan covered the topic very well with real examples of what happens on the ground much better than we could outline in a scientific way. The real life experiences she outlined gave life to the words on page 9.

Ms Doonan also mentioned research. On pages 8 and 9 of our proposal we examine the proposal put forward by the consortium on cross-Border collaboration. Research plays a key role. We are mindful that much research exists but there is a gap in the research. That is probably an area in which Ms McEniff has some expertise. A core element of the model proposal is around research to inform best practice and policy. We spoke about the disparities between the models in the North and the South. We do not have the answer on which is the most appropriate or best model but through research we hope to identify the needs of carers; whether financial support works best or practical hands-on support that might be more prevalent in Northern Ireland. We are very mindful of the importance of research as an element of any cross-Border collaboration and it is something we will prioritise as part of our project proposal.