Ms Gillian Coughlan:

If we stand back and look at Ireland and the lack of regional development, which the Deputy noted, how is that going to take place? It will take place within communities and communities, as the Deputy rightly said, do not know where to turn. That is still the case. People do not know where to turn. It is not good enough that somebody in a local authority randomly happens to know about a stream of funding because they went on a Committee of the Regions meeting or met a Committee of the Regions delegation and found out about it. That potpourri effect is not good enough. There has to be structured investment. The officers certainly would be an element of it.

We are county councillors and members of the Committee of the Regions and many of us have jobs as well. It would be great if this was more of a full-time position so we could dedicate more time to it. To have the executive and the political wings working hand in glove would be very helpful because being on the Committee of the Regions is a demanding role. One's presence is the most important thing. Being there, hearing about these schemes and being part of creating the schemes that will be important for our citizens is what representation is about. It is not just taking but creating and making sure the schemes are suitable for Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Wicklow or Wexford and are made in a such a way that the Lego block will fit in with the funding scheme that is in place. That is hard, painstaking and time-consuming work. There is a disconnect there. It involves time, the investment of time and the nitty-gritty of getting into the policy grooves and making them suitable for Ireland. It does not just involve money. Look how successful the Erasmus programme is. There could be something similar involving the twinning of towns across Europe, to bring it back down to what the Deputy said about town councils. If we had the chance to make those proposals and set them up, particularly with regard to future enlargement of the EU, there would be a sense of identity and people would feel able to twin with towns in Albania or Montenegro when they join the EU.

Time and investment are key. As Deputy Lahart said, it is the best kept secret. I am very much trying to raise the profile of the Committee of the Regions. It is very important that we do so because the delegation put in a significant amount of work and time and it is very demanding. I feel that we are sometimes in a bit of a cul-de-sac because we do not have the mechanisms to translate that into success on the ground.