Arising out of the Minister's reply in which he outlined various activities that should be undertaken by local authorities, such as litter prevention, the provision of car parks, public toilet and other amenities, in view of the fact that the Government have cut the moneys available to local authorities to undertake such tasks how then does he expect them to carry out such duties?

Apply for national lottery funds.

I accept that there has been a reduction in the rates support grant that has been made available to local authorities. I am saying that local authorities, just as every other authority in the country, have had to take their share of cuts in the pursuit of national recovery. We have had extraordinary good results from one initiative taken by local authorities, in co-operation with the agricultural sector and the Department over the past year, that was in relation to the whole question of the fish kills drama we had last year which has been counteracted. That has been achieved with the co-operation of farmers, local authorities who gave the lead in the surveys and enforcement of existing legislation. That is an indication of what local authorities can do, particularly now when they are involved in the drawing up of recommendations for the regional plans under their advisory committees that will form part of the national plan, going forward to benefit from the new structural funds.

They are being drawn by officials in the Department of Finance. The Minister knows nothing about it.

If those plans do not include an element of tourism then there is something awfully wrong.