Dr. Anthony Soares:

I have a very brief comment in response to Senator Cullinane's question on the institutions and how effective they are. He referred specifically to the North-South Ministerial Council.

I would say the effectiveness of the institutions generally depends on the energy and ambition of the policy makers or, in some cases, political actors who inhabit those institutions. Great work has been done by the North-South Ministerial Council specifically, for example, in the area of cross-Border and all-island co-operation on health. In the enterprise area, a great deal of work is being done through InterTradeIreland, which is at the centre when these sectoral meetings take place. There has been a great deal of talk about how successful the two jurisdictions have been in working together to draw down EU funds. I would say the secretariat of the North-South Ministerial Council is very effective and supportive. It does great work. I have to acknowledge that it has been a great supporter and partner of the Border People project, which does very practical things to enable people to take up employment on either side of the Border. It is very effective in that case.