Mr. J.P. Mulherin:

For the CLÁR programme, we looked at some of the statistics from the last census. These showed the population had increased in a large proportion of those areas covered by the CLÁR programme. If we were to apply the same metrics to the programme now as when it was established, many of these areas would potentially no longer be included. There has certainly been a growth in the population in the areas in question. Whether this comes down to the CLÁR programme is a different matter. The census of the population has shown an increase across all the counties in Ireland. For the CLÁR areas, I suspect it will show a further increase in population in most locations.