Mr. Ian Tegerdine:

In the absence of decisions the status quoremains. I would not push the Department to make an early decision but would prefer if it made the right decision. I understand from conversations with officials that they are heavily involved in the work in question. It will take a certain amount of time to complete, as it is quite complex. There is a lot of thinking to be done and the Department has to think about the consequences for the whole public sector rather than just one part of it. It is trying to work out what the consequences will be if it agrees to certain things.