Ms Pamela Arthurs:

I would not be very hopeful about money coming from Westminster for cross-Border co-operation. An example I can give is that when a group of MPs in Westminster were looking into the UK prosperity fund that will replace EU funding a number of cross-Border groups were asked to comment on it and we did so. We delivered a strong response on the need for cross-Border co-operation. When the report was published it made little or no reference to cross-Border co-operation. We must bear in mind the Northern Ireland Border region will be competing with England, Scotland, Wales, the rest of Northern Ireland and Belfast. We have always been on the periphery and we are still on the periphery in this respect. I do not see money coming to replace the moneys from Europe that we along the Border enjoy, and bear in mind we punch above our weight with regard to the money we have received to date.

Europe is committed to cross-Border co-operation. The British and Irish Governments have committed to seeing out the current programmes and the PEACE PLUS programme, which will comprise INTERREG and PEACE as we know them today. The EU has committed it will fund this programme to the value of €600 million. We know we have this, irrespective of a no-deal Brexit. This shows the commitment of Europe and the other 27 member states to peace in Northern Ireland. There will be no funding from Westminster, unless, perhaps, we engage in sustained lobbying to try to raise the profile, but we must bear in mind that Brexit will cost money and there are many priorities that will come above cross-Border co-operation. I do not think enough money will be left to look seriously at cross-Border co-operation and the work we have done to date.

I am speaking about economic development and we can see INTERREG on the ground, which is good, but there will be a hard economic impact on members working together and this could possibly be lost. I hope an organisation such as ours, with 40 years of history, will be able to keep it going.

We will be able to keep that going, but without money, there is always a need for a carrot. As Councillor O'Hanlon said, cross-Border co-operation is never easy. One is constantly walking a tightrope, particularly in Northern Ireland with all of our history. It is something that is not easy and could be impacted despite the best intentions of everybody, not just here but on the boards of the groups along the Border.