Mr. Jim Lennon:

Within both departments, we have a sponsoring special education branch with which we regularly liaise. That is the group of officials with whom we regularly liaise regarding finance, the production of the annual business plan, reporting and monitoring and any other issues that might arise. There is a clear reporting structure in that regard.

There is also a joint operational group, or executive committee, with which we meet twice a year. The purpose of that is to set out the business plan, which is currently annual even though we had hoped to move to a three-year plan. Again, because of particular issues in Northern Ireland, we receive an annual budget allocation. Both departments agree what their priorities are.

Within that business plan and the current resource limit, we can flex. For example, if Ireland were to say it would increase the number of children being seen to 15 or 20 but if its resource envelope were to remain the same, that would mean we would do less of one thing and more of another. Those sorts of discussions are quite possible and regular.

Beyond that, if there were perceived to be a substantial change to either the role, the function or the operational remit of the centre, that is where ministerial agreement would come into place. If we were to change, for example, the basis of the funding and move away from 50:50 - some have suggested a population-based model whereby funding would be apportioned against the populations of Ireland and Northern Ireland - that would require some agreement of the North-South Ministerial Council. The Deputy will appreciate that that moves much more into the political arena.