Dr. Joe Whelan:

I do not believe any questions were put to me directly. I echo what has been said by Dr. Boland and Dr. Griffin have said on what Dr. Griffin has termed the black box for policy researchers. I reiterate what Dr. Boland has said that this has been the case traditionally. As researchers, we are able to do research that interrogates policy or that talks to people who have experienced policy but we are not often able to speak to street-level policy implementers. That is something that may be a missing part of the puzzle. Access to data could enhance and flesh out our understanding. There has been some access by some researchers. I am thinking of Dr. Michael McGann's work in which he interviewed people. Largely speaking, it has been a closed door of sorts. As researchers in this area, it has been a missing piece of a puzzle for many of us and we would like to have access if possible.