(1)  The Secretary is to determine whether –

(a) the State is to be regarded as one operational area for the purposes of this Act; or

(b) the State is to be divided into more than one operational area for the purposes of this Act.

(2)  The Secretary is to approve, and review and amend from time to time as he or she thinks fit, a plan (the "operational plan" ) for the operational area, or each of the operational areas, determined under subsection (1) .

(3)  The Secretary, before approving or amending an operational plan, and in reviewing such a plan, is to consult with –

(a) the persons or bodies that, in the opinion of the Secretary, have experience or expertise in the provision of specialist disability services; and

(b) persons with disability and persons who care for such persons; and

(c) the persons or bodies that, in the opinion of the Secretary, represent the interests of persons with disability.

(4)  An operational plan in relation to an operational area is to set out –

(a) how the strategic plan is to be implemented in the operational area; and

(b) how funding that is to be used in respect of the operational area in accordance with the strategic plan is to be distributed between –

(i) the costs of administering this Act in that operational area; and

(ii) the making of grants to persons or organisations in the operational area; and

(c) how funding that is to be distributed in respect of the operational area in the making of grants to persons or organisations in the operational area is to be distributed between –

(i) grants to disability services providers under section 14(1)(a) ; and

(ii) grants to disability research providers under section 14(1)(b) ; and

(iii) grants to persons under section 14(1)(c) .

(5)  The operational plan in relation to an operational area is to set out how the proportion of funding that is to be distributed in respect of the operational area as grants to disability services providers under section 14(1)(a) is to be distributed between different kinds of specialist disability services.

(6)  The operational plan for an operational area is to include –

(a) how the objectives that are specified in the strategic plan to be objectives to be achieved across the State as a whole are to be implemented in the operational area; and

(b) how the objectives that are specified in the strategic plan to be objectives to be achieved in a particular part of the State, specified in the strategic plan, that is in the operational area are to be implemented in that part of the State.

(7)  The Secretary is to ensure that an up-to-date copy of each operational plan is available for viewing by the public.

(8)  An operational plan may form part of a document containing plans in relation to matters other than matters to which this Act relates.