Dr. Theresa Reidy:

We sniffed out the Department of the Taoiseach before we dealt with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. We have had some engagement with the Department of the Taoiseach about what this might look like. Arising from that we have had other consultations with, for example, the Central Statistics Office with regard to exploring possibilities for incorporating an election study or a referendum study with some of the other work that office does. Again, that avenue did not really work out, partly because the timing of referendum and election studies means they cannot really be tagged onto other studies because they have to happen at the time of the electoral event. For the most part we have had engagement with the Department of the Taoiseach rather than direct engagement with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, although we have been involved in consultations regarding the electoral commission.

It has come up there but not in a more systematic way.

In regard to the earlier question on the funding from 2002 to 2007, there would be a degree of inflation involved but, roughly, we would be talking about the same kind of parameters. The only things that would be wanted to be added are the referenda, which were not included.