Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 March 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement

Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach

Ms ?mer Deane:

The Deputy touched on the work of this committee. The shared island unit follows what this committee does very closely. I spent four years as an adviser to this committee. I recognise the importance of a committee such as this in keeping issues on the agenda, promoting them and making sure they are priorities in programmes for Government and other places.

The Deputy also mentioned local authorities. I could not agree more. In particular, when there was no Executive in Northern Ireland, local authorities continued to drive North-South co-operation in an amazing way that the shared island unit could not have done without. I acknowledge this in the Deputy's area and the north west involving co-operation between Donegal and Derry-Strabane is another great example.

The Deputy mentioned the Ulster Canal. We hope the second phase of that will be completed in the coming weeks. This will be a very significant moment. We will then move immediately into phase three.

I will not comment on the Ulster final, but we all want to see Casement Park redeveloped. It has particular importance for the shared island unit because it is an east-west project of which there are not too many. It involves the British and Irish Governments' successful joint bid to host the European Championships. The reason why the Irish Government is coming forward at this point with a commitment to Casement Park is to try to ensure we can provide the momentum for the stadium to be redeveloped in time for that competition.

The Deputy mentioned the beautiful Cuilcagh boardwalk trail. It is one of the projects under the local authority scheme, which is just at the point where they are going to be taken together and examined by the line Departments. It is certainly one of the projects under consideration.

Regarding enterprise centres, there may be scope within the work to be undertaken by the enterprise agencies. I do not think they have settled on the model of what they are going to do but it is likely that there are probably other funding streams that might be relevant here such as PEACE funding so it might be a question of working out a basket of funding around enterprise centres.

We are very aware of the great work of Linda Ervine, Naíscoil na Seolta and how it is developing and are looking to see how we might co-operate with her in the next phase of its development. Does Mr. Duffy have anything to add?