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

It baffles me why a North-South consultative forum could not be in place by now. Civil society does not threaten anybody. Civil society has also played an important role. In many areas of Northern Ireland where I have had opportunities to meet local communities, people feel they are not adequately represented by the political system. Civil society might assist in filling that deficit.

The St. Andrews Agreement provides for an expansion of the North-South bodies and prioritisation of areas in which further co-operation can be achieved on a North-South basis. Was there any discussion at the recent meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council with members of the Executive or the Secretary of State on the need to prioritise other areas in which we can make progress, and which would contribute to strengthening the all-island economy, growing jobs and providing better services for our citizens, be it in health, education or other services that need to be provided to the people on all of this island? Is any urgency being shown by the Executive or the Secretary of State regarding the need to prioritise more issues on which we can make progress for the benefit of all the people on this island?

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