My concern, however, is that we are now half way through the plan and the Government appears, from media reports, to be at odds about how best to strategically manage the spend on research and development and how to use that huge resource wisely and achieve the best value for money. At the end of last year the Tánaiste received the report of the special commission established, at the Government's request, by the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation. According to media reports, the report makes far reaching recommendations on how the Government should marshal State funding to maximise the return on investment in research and development. It also makes recommendations that would greatly affect the relative roles of the Tánaiste's Department and other Departments, especially the Department of Education and Science.