At a recent meeting, members of Louth County Council heard of an expected rise of 25% in the cost of tar, which is obviously a key material for road surfacing. This will obviously lead to huge issues for the roadworks programme. We also hear of the possible impacts of additional costs relating to retrofitting and upgrades, which are absolutely necessary. What engagement has there been? Louth County Council has applied for extra funding to address the impact of recent flooding. It is looking for somewhere around €1.5 million, although that figure probably will not cut the mustard at this point in time. Donald Trump and genocidal Israel's illegal war are causing huge issues. Supports will be needed. I would like to think there is good engagement with local authorities.

The implications of this war are widespread. The danger is that there will potentially be secondary effects on the wider economy. Governments cannot chase inflation. We cannot compensate for every price increase everywhere. That will not work. We have to try to target our resources as best we can at those most in need. There are concerns about the inflationary impacts of this crisis, which may feed into the wider economy. It could affect all areas and sectors of the economy. The ECB has already downgraded its economic growth forecasts for the European Union. It was predicting growth of 1.4% for 2026 but it has now reduced that to 0.9%. We will also have to look at our growth figures. I would say there will be some decline in what is expected and anticipated as a result of this crisis.