Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the Deputies for raising a variety of issues pertaining to the shared island programme and agenda. Deputy Richmond raised the broader issue in terms of potential. The Patrick Kielty contribution was an extraordinary one. It certainly struck a chord with many people who watched his contribution over and over again. It went viral and was very widely accessed by people. It illustrates the potential of ideas through the context of the shared island dialogue having an impact, getting people to think and reflect.

The research programme undertaken by the shared island fund has been quite comprehensive, in respect of the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and the National Economic and Social Council, NESC. For example, the ESRI has done a very good piece of research on enhancing the attractiveness of the island in terms of high-value FDI, and on FDI intensity. There are a number of FDI projects in high-value sectors. Ireland ranks fourth and Northern Ireland 17th in Europe. Northern Ireland is above Scotland, north-east England and Wales. It goes through the different complementarities North and South and the different strengths. The advantage of the protocol for Northern Ireland has clearly been confirmed by evidence in the report that the European Union market potential has been a major driver of the location of choice of high-value FDI, including in manufacturing, which is a particular sectoral strength for Northern Ireland.

Shared island research was published in June on collaboration on healthcare on an all-island basis. There was a shared island dialogue on health participation with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and more than 120 sector stakeholders. There will be 11 publications under the Irish Research Council shared island programme in 2022, from June onwards, across a range of themes, and two reports on educational underachievement issued at the standing conference on teacher education in October. These are just illustrations of the kind of very detailed research underpinning a lot of work which we are funding. We are on the cusp of awarding up to €40 million in research projects between third level institutions in the Republic and in the North. Deputies will remember a call went out. It has been oversubscribed, which is a great illustration of the fact all in our third level community on the island are working together on projects that will be of benefit to the entire island, addressing challenges the island as a whole faces. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will be in a position to announce that shortly.

Deputy Kelly raised issues about other projects, including the railway and so forth. The €40 million is the most immediate, the Narrow Water Bridge. We are looking at greenways, the north-west industrial development potential between the north-west development partnership group and Donegal County Council in terms of industrial centres on both sides of the Border to create attractions for employment.

In response to Deputy Durkan, the confidence in this is strong, particularly in the non-political field if I am honest. Many people want to get on with this and there is a lot of buy-in.

Deputy Ó Murchú and I have had the discussion before, as he referenced. The full potential of the Good Friday Agreement has never been realised, in my view. The shared island initiative is a very good mechanism and avenue to realising its full potential in that respect.

I will come back to the hostel in Belfast.

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