Councillor Paul Canning:

I thank members for the questions and will respond first to Deputy Conlan. As to where we think the failure lies, first, everyone is aware of the major lack of investment across the entire country. However, the information that comes down from this committee towards the likes of the North West Region Cross Border Group is shady at times. We do not know what actually is happening and one hears a lot of fragmented statements because one is working with two Governments. We wish to focus on a channelled direct route via this committee in respect of what it is implementing and doing. This information can be fed back to us as a group in order that we can do the dividing at our level. The cross-Border group is a mixture of councillors from Donegal, Derry, Strabane, Limavady and Magherafelt councils. It is cross-party and cross-Border and we then are able to divide that. We can see a focus and can bring that focus. We also have no problem with reverting to the joint committee and letting members know where we find things are going wrong. Basically, when we conducted the consultation, we received feedback from everybody and the sort of line was that people did not know what was happening. Moreover, if one mentioned this delegation was coming before the joint committee, the response was we would only be wasting our time. We want to come back with a focus and a strategic framework from which to work. Basically, we need such a document and then we will know where we are going and how we are to go forward. There also is low investment at present with poor infrastructure in place, including poor broadband but that will come. However, we must have a focus on the direction in which we are going.

This point basically ties into the other questions regarding the make-up of the councils and the present position with regard to the new councils. At present, we are in a transient state and in fairness to Donegal County Council, we have been working with the areas already. As it had been broken down into five or six areas anyway, our structures might be ahead of the rest of the country with regard to the Putting People First document and consequently we are okay on that aspect. I will let Councillor Hastings comment regarding the position in Derry and Strabane.