Financial implications of the Bill
153 The Inquiry Report recommended that the NI Executive should fund all costs and negotiate with the institutions in terms of their expected contribution. This will be a controversial and difficult discussion judging by the experiences of the Ryan Commission in the Republic of Ireland, where disputes are still ongoing some 9 years after the end of their Inquiry. If agreement to their contributions cannot be reached, the Report recommended that the NI Executive and the institutions concerned submit all issues to mediation. If mediation fails then all remaining issues should be dealt with by the NI Executive and the relevant institutions agreeing to submit to binding arbitration.
154 There is currently no funding allocated, as an Executive decision cannot be made on the Report or to approve the allocation of funding from the Block Grant. Once the Bill receives Royal Assent and comes into force, funding will be sought from the Executive in the usual manner.