Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the work Deputy Smith is doing on Brexit as Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence. I am from the Clones area and Deputy Smith's home is not far from Belturbet, Bawnboy and Ballyconnell, which are towns that bore the brunt of the Troubles when a hard border was in place. We never want to go back to those days. That is why everything the Government is doing is focused on ensuring we do not have a hard Border on this island. Deputy Smith has brought delegations and parliamentarians to the Border region to highlight the impact Brexit will have. The joined-up approach of this Parliament to Brexit is in stark contrast to what we see in Westminster. There are targeted supports available, including the regional enterprise development fund. Of the last call relating to the fund, €10.6 million went to the Border region. I am pleased to inform Deputy Smith that almost €5 million has been allocated for the construction of a new bio-economy research centre in Monaghan which will be a game-changer for the future of the food industry on which we are so dependent. Further funding of €250,000 was provided to develop an engineering network in the north east involving a number of companies in Monaghan, Cavan and Louth working in collaboration and building on their engineering strengths. Deputy Smith and I are both aware of how important engineering is in the Border region.

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