Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of cross-Border work being undertaken by agencies under the aegis of his Department; the way in which relationships between arts, heritage and language bodies can be strengthened by his Department; the steps he will take to that end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44243/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that my Department is fully committed to supporting North-South co-operation, particularly in the context of the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement.

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department funds two of the six North-South implementation bodies established under the 1999 British-Irish Agreement. These are Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga, which comprises two agencies - Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency-Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch. These implementation bodies carry out a range of activities in line with their statutory remits. They operate under the policy direction of the North-South Ministerial Council, NSMC, and are supported by funding from their two sponsor Departments - my Department and Northern Ireland's Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

In addition to the language and inland waterways sectors, my Department and bodies funded from its core Vote continue to explore ways of deepening and enhancing North-South co-operation. In this regard, my Department works closely with the British-Irish Council and supports artists on an all-Ireland basis to present their work internationally. Other areas of cross-Border co-operation include work on the planning of commemorations, collaborations between museums on either side of the Border and participation by a number of projects in Northern Ireland in Culture Night 2013 as well as engagement on built and natural heritage and environmental matters. For example, last April I accepted the invitation of the Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Carál Ní Chuilín, MLA, to visit Belfast and see at first hand some of the excellent work underway in that city in regard to language and culture and to meet with representatives of organisations active in that area. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, has also taken the opportunity of attending other cross-Border cultural functions, including Robbie Burns concerts and the launch of the Ulster-Scots Foundation Certificate in Highland Piping at Stormont.

Finally, I can advise the Deputy that I, along with the Minister of State, participate regularly in meetings of the NSMC in both the waterways and language sectoral formats. Four sectoral meetings have taken place to date in 2013 with another two planned for November. In addition, I participate at the highest level when the NSMC meets in plenary format.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy O'Brien.

Clearly, we are a small island with substantial commonalities North and South as well as some differences, particularly in respect of the political dispensations that exist on either side of the Border. However, there are a number of key bodies on either side of the Border which deal with similar things. In particular, Foras na Gaeilge is one of the key all-Ireland bodies under the Good Friday Agreement and functions under the North-South Ministerial Council. More particularly, I wish to inquire about the arts and heritage bodies.

This is particularly important in light of the significance of arts and heritage to our cultural identity. During the decade of centenaries we need to reflect on how matters which previously caused division were expressed through the arts and to consider how this generation might celebrate and commemorate our shared artistic heritage in a way that is not divisive. Will the Minister consider meeting the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in the North on a regular basis to discuss matters relating to arts and heritage with?

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to confirm that I meet Deputy McLellan's party colleague on a regular basis and that we have a good relationship. We will shortly be launching a programme, Gaeilge gan Stró, in the Dáil. I am sure Members will be invited to the launch. We launched the programme on Falls Road some time ago and we will launch it here when it is ready. The Arts Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland work closely with each other and both the Minister, Carál Ní Chuilín, MLA, and I have asked them to work closely together. We will be attending a joint meeting of the arts councils presently, which I have been requesting for some time. I hope the preparations have been put in place to allow us to meet. We have jointly launched a number of initiatives over the past two years. We agreed on a new approach to funding the Irish language and organisations. This approach was historical because it was around since 2004. We put it together with the Minister of State in my Department, Deputy McGinley. We enjoy close co-operation and I would personally like us to do even more together. A number of initiatives are envisaged on which we can work together.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I accept the points he made about Foras na Gaeilge and Irish language co-operation. However, as regards other matters in his Department's remit, has he taken steps to ensure co-operation? Perhaps he might consider developing a framework for the arm's length bodies in order that such matters might be discussed.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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My officials maintain contact with their counterparts in Northern Ireland and they enjoy a good working relationship. There is considerable co-operation that people do not see. People are working closely together to avoid excessive duplication. A great example in the arts is the cross-Border youth orchestra, which is a very successful organisation made up of young people from both sides of the Border. They work closely together to produce good content and they travel to the UK and the USA. Although they work under the radar, they are very effective. The orchestra is funded by the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly. There are good examples of which we do not often hear. I think we should hear about them more often.