(1) Whether a service provider was appointed by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) to conduct capacity assessments of municipalities prior to the commencement of the current demarcation process; if not, (a) why not and (b) does the specified board have the internal capacity to conduct such an assessment; if so, (i) which service provider was appointed, (ii) what is Friday, 16 October 2015 1393 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY NO 40 - 2015 the status of the specified service provider’s report and (iii) what was the cost of the contract for the research undertaken; (2) whether any reports were generated regarding the capacity of the newly amalgamated municipalities by (a) the MDB, (b) a service provider appointed by the specified board and/or (c) any other body for use in the demarcation process; if not, why not; if so, (i) who conducted the assessments, (ii) what criteria were used during such assessments and (iii) were the reports made available to the public during the public participation process?