Ms Gillian Coughlan:

I thank Deputy Murphy for his question. Yes, I would say that. The local authorities that have EU affairs officers are demonstrably better at drawing down European money. They would say that themselves. The focus of attention on accessing funds and having the capacity within the local authority's office makes a big difference.

As members themselves know, local authorities are pressed. There are a lot of calls on their expertise and on their staff, so to have an expert they can call on to do this is warranted. Yes, we are leaving money behind. That is not good enough, especially as we are net contributors. It was never good enough, but it is certainly not good enough now. If there are opportunities for local areas, we should certainly grasp them with both hands.