Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all agree on that. On the issue of the North-South Ministerial Council and possible cutbacks in funding for representative groups in Northern Ireland, the appropriate persons for the joint committee to contact are the Minister of State, Deputy Dinny McGinley, and the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure in the North, Ms Carál Ní Chuilín. I am aware that funding has been extended until the end of this year and deliberations and negotiations are set to continue. I propose that the joint committee formally write to the Ministers on the issue. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The joint committee tries as best it can to promote itself as an honest broker in terms of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. We are a little handicapped in this respect as we do not have Unionist representation. However, the absence of Unionist representatives makes us more conscious of the need to strike a balance. What we can offer to the groups before us is constant involvement and engagement. Significant dialogue appears to be needed to achieve the outcome our guests are seeking. If the committee can assist in this conversation, those present should feel free to contact us as part of their deliberations. As Mr. Mac Póilín pointed out, his organisation is meeting increasing numbers of Gaelgeoirí and Irish language groups.