Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Taillon. I met her many years ago, in the early 1990s, in my involvement with the Fianna Fáil women's group visiting her in Conway Mill. She has a tremendous reputation for that and I am delighted to meet her again. She is a passionate person. She is obviously committed in her activities to keeping the spirit and realities of cross-Border co-operation alive in the interests of all our peoples. I commend her on that.

Her review suggests what I know in my heart and soul, that there is a worrying decline in commitment to cross-Border co-operation. There is no question about it. She made two points, first, that "Cross-Border co-operation among other public bodies [apart from existing North-South bodies], and between public bodies and civic society, is still fragmented and weakly institutionalised.", which is worrying, and on the same issue, that "the limited, but nevertheless important, references to cross-Border co-operation have dwindled and all but disappeared from major policy documents". How can this be changed?

She points out that cross-Border co-operation has been highly dependent on EU funding and the IFI. She welcomed the new strategy for a reconciliation fund and its supports for North-South projects, but until we see the scale of the budget it is difficult to judge its possible impact. She states that "it is essential that cross-Border co-operation be mainstreamed in public policy and budget lines on both sides of the Border." I believe this committee should support fully all of what Ms Taillon supports.

Are we coming later to the educational paper, to Mr. Haverty and Mr. Soares? Are they speaking to us separately?