Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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How likely does Mr. Deane think it is that those talks will be successful? Is it possible to reconfigure or redesign the region, that is, to redefine the boundaries of the region at this point in time? At the time of the drawing up of the BMW region, a lot of political influence was exerted by the previous Government and various counties were included. At that time, even with the expansion of the region, it was still eligible for funding. People in certain areas of the region that are more deprived would now feel that the expansion is inhibiting them from availing of more funding. In that context, is it possible to redefine or even propose a region at this point in time? Following on from that, is it possible to propose a region that crosses borders and to create, for example, a north-west region or a Border region which would be on both sides of the Border?