I have made it clear in letters to the local authorities that I expect that the own resources element of any roads funding will continue and increase at least in line with inflation. I have underlined that. While I have not spelt this out, I have the opportunity now to spell it out. It is something I have checked and taken up in a number of local authorities on my visits. Where my information was that they had decreased the amount of money, I made it quite clear that if they start reducing the amounts of own resources I will start reducing the amount which they receive from the Department on a pro rata basis. I am making that quite clear. I do not want a recurrence of the previous situation. The Deputy might have had some experience — his predecessor certainly did — of instances where increased funding was allocated to local authorities and they reduced their own funding almost proportionately. Local authorities are committed, by and large, to an improvement in their county roads structure and they must provide some of the funding themselves. I do not want to see that diminishing. Anywhere I find it is diminishing, they will suffer accordingly.
With regard to storm damage, it depends on one's definition of catastrophic. We occasionally see catastrophic storm damage in continental Europe. There was some serious storm damage in various parts of this country over the past couple of years. However, it has been the practice, one which I have continued, that local authorities hold a portion of the roads allocation they receive for unusual circumstances as a contingency.