Mr. Francie Molloy:

I thank the delegation for the presentation, which was very positive and it is good to see such co-operation across councils eroding the Border and the effects of that Border in the surrounding council areas.

I travel back and forth to Donegal quite regularly. When travelling between Dungannon and Donegal, its importance for the development of Donegal and the entire north-west region can be seen at every stage of the way. We have to keep it on the agenda and not allow it to become a political football, because there is a danger that it could be used in that way. We should try to encourage those along the way to allow it to proceed and to be in place as quickly as possible.

Another important area is co-operation and working together, CAWT, and cross-border health and well-being. Altnagelvin Hospital's new wing, and the effect it has had on cancer patients in particular, has opened a new healthcare dimension for Donegal. Good work was done by the Assembly a number of years ago on the hospital and the tie-in with CAWT and cross-Border development. I hope that continues.

Training and employment is another issue. In my area, mid-Ulster and Tyrone, there are many trained engineers, but one of the big problems the area faces is the availability of labour. We have to find ways of training new people, but also to attract new men and women into the engineering sector. If that does not happen, the sector will move somewhere else, and there is a danger that those jobs will be lost. We should look at training and employment as a means of keeping people in the area, but retraining should also be considered. People who have been in different types of jobs could, for various reasons, consider retraining in the engineering sector. People I met last week were considering the idea of robots which would carry out the engineering and welding. It would be awful if young people from the area had to move away.

I thank the committee for the work it is doing. It is very important. I thank the witnesses for their presentation.