Ms Pamela Arthurs:

We need to take a cross-sectoral approach. Brexit is affecting every sector. If we are serious about the Border, the Government must look at the 11 local authorities along the Border as they have the political mandate to take a strategic approach and come up with their priorities in terms of what interventions are required.

A major company that is based in Newry is First Derivatives. It has 1,000 employees. It was set up by a local indigenous business man who had faith in the Border area. He could have taken that business anywhere. It has offices across the world. Local people are prepared to invest in their local communities. The Government could recognise their work along the Border. First Derivatives has not received any funding. Perhaps it did not need it, but there might be other entrepreneurial individuals along the Border who would stay in the region if there was some incentive to do so. We must be serious about the issue. Looking at one sector or taking a piecemeal approach has not worked. The local authorities are there and they are ready to step up to the mark to say what they require. There will be competing interests, but that is the same everywhere and we are big enough to work out where the priorities are. Mr. Shane Campbell identified the Irish Central Border area as having problems with connectivity and the situation is better in the East Border Region in that regard. The requirements are different and we will compete with each other but at the end of the day the common view is the same in terms of promoting cross-Border economic development, as that benefits the people of the Border region and will hopefully keep our young people there. We will not succeed if we continue to take a sticking plaster approach.