Councillor Patrick McGowan:

I thank members for their comments. It is becoming very clear that we are all on the one page. Many of us have the same interests and we have all identified the same challenges. We met the Minister approximately a year ago and talked about funding. Much of the structural funding is becoming competitive. It not like a few years ago where there was a cake and it is was divided up among every country.

There are great opportunities now because in Ireland, as in Europe, all our universities and institutes of technology are growing campuses around them, which are doing research, are engaged in job creation and so on. They are in a prime position, with the support of local authorities and county development boards, to pitch for this.

My local authority is probably more advanced than others because we have experience over the years with PEACE, the International Fund for Ireland, INTERREG and so on. We have devised a fairly good model but it needs to be developed. We would like to keep it to ourselves and not give out many of our secrets but this must developed in Cork, Dublin, Galway and elsewhere. Some are at an advanced stage.

There is money that can be drawn down but we need to move very fast to get it. It is not a case of the local authorities taking all the money for themselves for roads or other infrastructure but it is to develop education, research, jobs and tourism. The money is available but we must go after it.

We spoke earlier about the relationships between the different committees. We meet before every plenary and discuss all the issues. We meet Mr. Robert Collins from our secretariat and go through all the issues in advance and discuss our own opinions. All of us know what the others' issues are or the other issues with which we are involved. During the plenary we meet the permanent representatives and the ambassadors and discuss the issues with which we are dealing during the plenary, but we also ask them to give us information on future issues, especially where they pertain to Ireland.

We referred to relationships with other countries in Europe. The UK, for example, is to bring in a tax in regard to foreign lorries which will have a major impact. Many of the transport companies in County Donegal and in other counties will relocate across the Border where they will pay half the road tax. They have come forward with ideas, such as lowering the road tax here and charging foreign lorries the same as in the UK where they pay as they go. Many issues affect the Border region. We have a special relationship with the UK and Northern Ireland, which affects the economy. Many of these issues could be discussed. For me, it is a win-win situation. If this committee could lead on this forum, everything could be tabled and we could work together.