Dr. Fergal Lynch:

Maybe I will set out the timeframe in a little more detail if that is helpful. The next immediate stage is for the heads of Bill to be published. That will happen hopefully in the next few days and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs will then immediately submit them formally to the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs for pre-legislative scrutiny. Obviously, we are in the committee's hands as to how long it wants to take and what length of time it wants to give the heads of the Bill but we hope to be able to have that process concluded, if possible, including having the committee's report back. We would then refine the heads of Bill on the basis of the comments and suggestions from the committee and then have a full Bill - obviously, we are in the hands then of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel - as early as possible in the second half of 2017. That would then go through the Oireachtas in the normal way. At the same time, the Department would be working on a number of non-legislative components, including preparing the procurement process.