Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome Ms O'Donoghue and Mr. Duffy. As the Chairman said, the scope of the work undertaken and being proposed by the shared island unit is very impressive and comprehensive. Ms O'Donoghue said in her introductory remarks that the programme of work and the proposed investment are underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement in all its aspects. I very much welcome the commitment by Ms O'Donoghue that the ring-fenced €500 million that is available over the next few years, which is very welcome, is additional funding. Too often in the past, when there was European funding specifically for cross-Border bodies and cross-Border developments, sometimes officials in the line Departments used that to substitute for what should have been line Department funding and we did not always get the additionality that was deserved and needed. I am glad she is emphasising that this must be additional funding, not substitute funding by some Departments.

I am pleased that the shared island initiative has enabled adequate funding to be put in place for the restoration of the Ulster Canal. As I represent the area, I am aware of its importance both North and South from the point of view of developing and contributing to the economic regeneration of rural areas on both sides of the Border. I come from the immediate area of the former Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Canal, which was restored in the early 1990s. It is now the Shannon-Erne Waterway and it has been an outstanding success, contributing a great deal to the economy of Fermanagh, Cavan, Leitrim and further south. I have no doubt that the Ulster Canal when completed, and it must be undertaken on an incremental basis, will contribute to and enhance rural regeneration and economic development in areas such as Clones, Cavan and elsewhere.

At our previous meeting, we discussed the importance of using the know-how, expertise and co-operation models that the local authorities have developed over the years. That is very welcome, because there is a massive amount of know-how and knowledge among the local authorities and within their specific groupings.

Ms O'Donoghue mentioned that one of the pieces of research that will be undertaken will be in the context of the economy and regional development. I come from the Cavan-Monaghan area and am very conscious that the central-Border area is the one that will suffer most from Brexit. There must be a great emphasis not just on research into the regional economy but also on ensuring the investment that is required is put into those areas. Let us face the facts. The Dublin-Belfast corridor will look after itself regardless of the economic circumstances on this island. If there are blips and downturns, cities of that importance will always survive and generally thrive, so there must be a special emphasis on investment in the least-developed areas, particularly the areas that have suffered most over the years. I sincerely hope that will be taken into account when deciding on investment.

Ms O'Donoghue also mentioned that one of the pieces of research that will be undertaken will be in the area of education. I have said previously that it has always been a source of regret for me that there has not been greater development of co-operation on an all-island basis in respect of education provision, particularly at the further and higher education level. Education was one of the areas identified in the Good Friday Agreement for further close co-operation. We are experiencing the creation of the technological universities in this State. That will bring benefits to many areas. Mr. Hannigan, the president of Letterkenny Institute of Technology, and his counterpart from Ulster University Magee campus gave us an outline of the great co-operation that exists between those two colleges and in the north west in particular. I would like to see some initiatives that would grow co-operation in further and higher education in the north east of the country. I have in mind the Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath area, which has an institute of technology. There should be much greater co-operation and provision of education services in an all-Ireland context.

There are not nearly enough students from Northern Ireland attending college in this State or students from this State attending college in Northern Ireland. Anything that could increase that participation would be very welcome. Are any ideas being considered in regard to an educational initiative, be it a development of a capital nature or the collaboration being intensified, on an all-Ireland basis? That would be particularly beneficial to the Border communities that I mentioned. When the education architecture is being changed in this State we should not confine ourselves to the Border. We need that co-operation on an all-Ireland basis in the area of further and higher education in particular. It would be a great message to send out that the shared island initiative was the catalyst for further development, collaboration and progress in that area.