§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is her estimate of the cost of(a) the Northern Ireland Assembly, (b) each of the 10 departments of Government and (c) the offices of the First and Deputy Ministers in the first full year of their operation. [76837]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyThis is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Assembly Commission recently estimated the operating costs of the Assembly at £36 million in 1999–2000.