Mr. Paul Hannigan:

I was glad to hear the Minister say earlier this morning that there is some element of cross-Border collaboration mentioned in the document to which Senator Jim D'Arcy referred. Earlier drafts of that documents did not include a reference to cross-Border collaboration. This is on both sides of the Border, not just on one side.

What I have been saying for a long time, and I have been shot down a number of times, is that because of the economic circumstances on both sides of the Border, from the political perspective this has become of less interest to people. It is also of little interest to anybody at present. While our institutions see it as vitally important to the hinterland we serve, we have to get the issue back on the political agenda and ensure that it is an issue worthy of consideration, which it did not get in the past. When we see a draft document with no element of cross-Border collaboration and highlight the fact, there is no point when it comes back with a paragraph in it.