The Hon. JOHN ROBERTSON: I wish to provide an answer to a question I was asked earlier about community development grants. The process is an extended one, with many steps that all take time. At the outset applicants are advised of the lengthy process, and the Committee Relations Committee endeavours to stay in regular contact with organisations to communicate how far they are through the process and how much longer it is anticipated to take. Like most grants processes, there is a period for expressions of interest. On receipt of those expressions of interest, a short list is developed. Those who make it to the short list are then told to make submissions on their projects. Those submissions then come in and are assessed on merit. Once the assessment has taken place, decisions are made on funding allocations.

Unfortunately with many grassroots community organisations, technical things often go wrong in the signing of the contracts, and documents do spend some time in transit, going backwards and forwards between the commission and the organisation. As I say, the process is an extended one and the commission will shortly ask for expressions of interest for the 2010 funding round. Applicants are well aware at the outset of the time it takes to receive their funding, and the commission is in regular contact with those organisations to provide updates.

Questions without notice concluded.