Nearly Final Version of the Gateway Application Form

Got an e-mail from the 14-19 consultant to say that Application B is nearly ready and will be checked over by someone else (the hierarchy in these things is never ending) on Wednesday for a final final version to then be sent off to the "Decision Panel" for an overall assessment. This, I am told, comes back in March. (Why on earth does it take a decision panel three months to read through a relatively straightforward application form?) Anyway, after the decision panel comes to a decision, that -I am told -is unlikely to be anything other than affirmative, the consortium can go ahead and start planning for the delivery and roll out of the Diploma in IT. In the meanwhile, there are people like me (in lead centres) that have to wait around twiddling our thumbs, wanting to start developing resources and making plans but unable to. I suppose I am somewhat reserved about investing huge amounts of time in something that is still (technically, technically) unconfirmed and more to the point something that, as of now, a TLR does not exist for. The more I research into the Diploma however, it is almost incredible to see how much money -millions and millions -has been poured into this 'idea' in the hope that it will be successful.