Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister and I are both from County Meath, and while I appreciate his argument, it is akin to my arguing that Meath football is dynamic because we beat Cork in 1987. The establishment 20 years ago of InterTradeIreland should have been followed by the creation of ten or 15 organisations, bodies or institutions. InterTradeIreland is still being held up as the greatest achievement in the development of cross-Border trade.

The Government is talking about 20-year blocks in terms of the development of an all-Ireland economy, rather than saying, "Well, this is our plan." What institutional connections in terms of policy development do the local enterprise offices have with their counterparts in the North? How often do they meet? Is it regularly? There are particular groups within County Down and County Louth, including the east Border innovation group, but there is no momentum in terms of the development of policy either in these small institutions or at ministerial level.