Councillor Fiona O'Loughlin:

I thank the Chairman. My colleague, Councillor McGowan, put it very well in terms of linking in with the research universities. That is something of which we see a lot through the Committee of the Regions. I learned a lot about it from seeing it in action and seeing evidence of local authorities working extremely closely with universities. On any study visits in which we have been lucky enough to participate it has always been linked in, especially with regard to research ideas. Our Commissioner is in that area and we could learn valuable lessons in that regard.

Deputy Byrne raised support issues and how we fare in a situation in which many of our European colleagues have very well-resourced offices. It was a very valid question. We did not want to complain about resources, or moan about what we have. However, I pay huge tribute to the support we have. Mr. John Crowley does an excellent job, as do Mr. Robert Collins and Mr. Ronan Gingles in the Brussels office and Mr. Jim Conway, who is the director of the Dublin Regional Authority, and our lead director. They do great work on our behalf. However, when we see the resources other members have, namely, fully staffed offices with teams of people doing the research even around the opinions on which the rapporteurs can lead, it certainly leaves us at a disadvantage. There will be a new mandate in December of this year for whatever new members will go forward, and that needs to be taken on board.

We talked about subsidiarity at European and national levels. I also have a mandate from Newbridge Town Council, the first body to which I was elected almost 20 years ago. Today, we will have been in existence for 149 years, originally as a town commission and latterly a town council. Although we are celebrating 149 years in existence, we are extremely sad we are facing demise and that on 23 May, after 149 years and 102 days, the council will be gone. That is a death knell for subsidiarity.