Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the Erasmus+ question, I agree with the Deputy.

I agree on the North-South point, too, but there is a great deal of work we need to do and it should be a large-scale ambition. When I was in the Department of Health, I saw the very significant collaboration that exists. Cancer patients from Donegal travel to Altnagelvin Area Hospital and sick children from Northern Ireland have life-saving surgery at Crumlin hospital. It works. The island does not care about politics, and neither does health or education. We have to make this work. In a city such as Derry, there is very considerable potential to do more, as there is in the north west of the island. There has been a recognition of that from university presidents, North and South. I had engagement on this with Universities Ireland this week and have indicated to the Taoiseach my wish to engage with the shared island unit within his Department for some of the North-South expertise.

Deputy Conway-Walsh and I have spoken about this. For me, it is not a political issue. It is not a green or orange issue but rather one of pragmatism, common sense and win-win for North, South and the island of Ireland . Particularly in the context of Brexit, from a research point of view our access to the European Union will be of benefit. I am really up for it. While I will have to engage with partners in the North and beyond, the committee could perhaps again be useful in that regard.