I said I would have the report at the end of the year. That is our target, to have the discussions between my Department and those of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs concluded. I share the Deputy's view that it is surprising we have not had progress on this since 1995. I cannot accept responsibility for that as I have only been in office for three months. Funding was provided by the last Government in the Estimates in 1995 for a centralised grant agency, but the then Minister changed her mind and decided not to proceed with such an agency. There the matter rested and little was done in terms of implementing de Buitléir, especially on that issue.
The issues are as the Deputy has outlined. Students depend on the various local authorities in the areas in which they live, they have to wait too long for grants and there have been undue difficulties in processing grants. I like what de Buitléir devised, for example, regular monthly payments to students. When students have been deemed eligible for grants, they should receive them regularly and they should also have a degree of certainty as to when they will receive them. They should also receive them on time and there should be an independent appeals process. I acknowledge the system is not satisfactory and I am determined to improve it in the interests of students.
I do not want to pre-empt what is happening because my colleague in the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs will have his views. However, it seems his Department has been modernised over the past decade in terms of computerisation. It is probably the most computerised Department and the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Woods, was instrumental in starting that process. Its service to the public has been transformed over the past ten to 15 years. It has a general income support function so there is a logic in attempting to develop a system in that context.