Mr. John Maher:

In the first instance, that would be a matter for the board. We have a Mediation Act and, to a large degree, the general scheme is modelled on provisions in that Act.

As for additional leave, we have the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC; the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, FPSO; and the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. They have very well established mediation functions, so we expect that the rules will be very similar to the rules that exist for those types of bodies. We think it will be important that the rules are clear and transparent and that when people decide to use mediation they will know what to expect, there will be no surprises, etc. That is how we expect this to be done. The rule-making power is to ensure that both parties are aware from the outset of how they can expect their cases to be dealt with. That is the answer to that question.