Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I have just one other point. A seminar on planning and building energy regulations will be held. All these seminars, including one on the economy, what went wrong and how to fix it, are very useful. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, to use his influence with the Minister, Deputy Gormley, in respect of this matter.

It would be counter-productive and would affect the education of councillors, especially those who were only recently elected for the first time, if they were prevented from attending educational and other seminars. These seminars can be extremely beneficial, from both a tourism and economic point of view, to the areas in which they are held, particularly if they are not normally hosted in such areas.

I am glad the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, who is a very practical man, is present. In light of his great experience of local authorities and the fact that he previously served as president of the Local Authority Members Association, he is in a strong position to encourage the Minister to leave responsibility for making decisions regarding seminars and the charges relating thereto with local authority members and their executive bodies. I would be satisfied with such an approach.