I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together.
As I have indicated to Deputies on a number of occasions, the Government decision on the funding of initiatives in the White Paper, Charting Our Education Future, is as set out in my foreword to the White Paper. This means that the amount of funding which can be made available in any given year will have to be decided by the Government in the context of its financial position and its other public expenditure priorities at that time.
In making observations on the resource aspects of the White Paper, the Department of Finance did not produce detailed, comprehensive multiannual cost projections which would take account of all the variables on which future costs depend. To attempt to do so would have been a very difficult, if not impossible, task and would be of questionable value. Government approval of the White Paper was contingent upon adherence to the Maastricht Treaty criteria in accordance with the Government's fiscal policy objectives. The allocation for education would have to be settled each year.
As regards the education boards, their establishment will not result in a completely new area of expenditure. It will rather involve the reallocation of funding and administrative responsibilities within the education system.
The Education Bill, 1997, specifically provides that the Minister must have the consent of the Government before bringing the education boards into operation. The establishment of the boards will take place on a phased basis with a gradual transfer of functions to the boards within costed and approved plans prepared by each board and approved by the Minister. This will facilitate careful appraisal of the incremental costs of the boards in the context of the Education Estimates for the year in question.
To ensure the smooth transfer of functions to the education boards and to prepare for the new role of the Department, management consultants have been contracted by my Department to review the present organisational structure of the Department. As part of their brief, they will also make recommendations regarding the future structure of the Department and the education boards. This will ensure that no unnecessary expenditure is incurred in the transfer of functions.