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

It is a very good example of an area that I think will be transformed. Deputy McGreehan's point about schools was well made. There is already a very interesting shared island project we have agreed with the Northern Ireland Executive on school completion. That is an innovative programme and there is good co-operation on all sides.

On the points raised by Deputy Ó Murchú, what we are for is a shared island. There is real substance in this initiative on the dialogue, research and investment fronts, which will bring people together. It is about reconciliation and we have to prioritise reconciliation. There are issues around the taxation of workers that we have been trying to resolve for some time between the two departments of finance. Some of the cross-Border bodies, in particular, have had real difficulty with their employees in that regard.

Deputy Conway-Walsh referred to geopolitical turbulence. We are making a lot of progress here and we have to continue to build on the progress we have made. We have done it in a non-political way, to be frank. We have not used the shared island unit as a Trojan horse for anything. That has been important in terms of gaining widespread societal acceptance in Northern Ireland. It has gained widespread acceptance from all communities and I want to retain that ingredient when moving this forward.

On the all-island strategic rail review Deputy Bacik raised, we will examine that to see what we can do from the shared island fund to develop some of the easier projects. Well, they may not be easier, as they will require a lot of time and investment. The Dublin-Belfast line, for example, could potentially be a game-changer for connectivity.

We are also looking at areas in both aviation and rail. The north west is not connected enough-----

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