Mr. Rory Montgomery:

I remember vividly at the time of the negotiation of the bodies, which was the follow-up, in late 1998 or early 1999, that one of the big issues was the whole question of inward investment. We in the Department of Foreign Affairs got the word very clearly that the IDA was absolutely opposed to any attempt to expand its efforts to cover the island. The Ireland of the South had a particular proposition based on corporation tax and on peace and security. From what I saw in my work in that regard, there was a fear of us risking contaminating the brand by bringing Northern Ireland into it. Equally, there were anxieties around tourism. Would tourists coming to the Republic be put off by the idea of some amnesty to the North? The partition was not all on one side, let us put it that way.