Details of progress made and costs incurred in connection with the "Your Education System" process of public consultation to the end of March 2004 were provided to the Deputy in April and posted on the website shortly afterwards.
It is my intention that further updates on this will be posted periodically throughout this year. The total cost to date is €684,499.56. This includes costs actually incurred or estimated and quantified. The breakdown requested by the Deputy is as follows: venue costs, actual, €33,525.82; printing and distribution costs, actual, €131,276.83; fees to chairpersons, actual, €44,880.00; expenses for panellists, actual, €8,007.65; cost of independent secretariat for the process, estimated full year cost, €59,680.00; promotion and advertising, actual, €316,536.35; other costs, actual or estimated and quantified, €90,592.91.
Planning of the meetings focused on specific topics and meetings for young people of school going age and the public attitudinal survey is underway. All of these have cost implications, which have not yet been quantified. Similarly the cost implication of producing a final, summary report cannot yet be quantified.