Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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25. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14895/26]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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26. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14896/26]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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27. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14897/26]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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28. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [26723/26]

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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29. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38775/26]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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30. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38894/26]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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31. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38896/26]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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32. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38899/26]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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33. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [39180/26]

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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34. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [39344/26]

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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35. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [39589/26]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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36. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department [39717/26]

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [37321/26]

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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We will cut the Taoiseach's reply to a minute and a half to stay on time.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have so much to say.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The remainder will be read into the record.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 to 37, inclusive, together.

Our programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for building our shared island backed by our €2 billion commitment to the shared island fund out to 2035. We are forging ahead with the investment and co-operation agenda across all sectors.

In November, the Government made a funding commitment of over €50 million from the shared island fund to resource ten new island-wide programmes over the next five years, including on media, heritage, emergency management, greenways and air transport.

In December, the Minister for enterprise and employment and I announced six projects under the €20 million shared island sustainability capital grant scheme, supporting six firms across the island and leveraging over €60 million in private capital investment for decarbonisation.

Some €2 million was announced by the Minister for foreign affairs under the shared island civic society fund for 64 cross-Border community projects and a further call for applications opened in April.

In January, the Minister for Education and Youth and her Northern Ireland counterpart announced the shared island teachers research exchange, providing educators with a digital community platform for professional learning and collaboration, and in April announced the expansion of the shared island creative connections programme to additional schools.

In February, we announced over €2.5 million for 13 projects that enhance visitor experiences along the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route as part of the shared island tourism brand project.

Also in February, the Minister for agriculture, food, fisheries and the marine and his Northern Ireland counterpart launched the shared island cross-Border co-operation programme on tackling bovine TB on a regional basis.

In March, the Minister for justice convened a conference in Drogheda, with policing, education and social care representatives from North and South, in co-operation with Northern Ireland partners, on tackling domestic and gender-based violence.

Also in March, the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht announced capital funding of €6.2 million for shared island projects to support the Irish language and Ulster Scots culture, heritage and language.

In addition, five new shared island funding calls have opened since the start of the year: the Shared Home Place: Diaspora Voices initiative to bring together Irish people abroad, from all traditions, to explore shared heritage and place-based connections; Culture Ireland’s new shared island touring, production and platforms fund to support showcasing, international touring and co-productions by artists from across the island; the Arts Council’s shared island touring scheme to support cross-Border productions and island-wide creative partnerships; a fourth programme on female entrepreneurship under the shared island enterprise scheme; and a new call as part of the creative climate action fund.

Additionally, the shared island research programme continues to provide high-quality evidence and analysis. In December, the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance launched a new annual ESRI report series, entitled "Assessing economic trends in Ireland and Northern Ireland". On 2 April, an ESRI shared island report was published on disability rates across the island of Ireland, the first such analysis. ESRI shared island reports on health inequalities, gender-based violence, regional productivity and regional income disparities are in preparation for publication in the second half of the year.

Through the shared island initiative, the Government is investing in strategic all-island co-operation, developing our partnerships with the Executive, including through the North-South Ministerial Council, and with the UK Government.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

We are fostering deeper connections and mutual understanding across all communities and traditions of this island.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. The progressive shared island initiative is bringing to fruition many cross-Border and all-Ireland projects that many of us thought would never be realised. The National Economic and Social Council, the ESRI and some universities have been enabled to carry out very substantial comprehensive studies through shared island funding. Through the office of An Taoiseach and in various parliamentary questions, I have asked if the National Economic and Social Council will undertake a study of the challenges facing the central Border region, North and South, and also identify the opportunities for further economic development. I have been a representative in the southern Ulster counties for some time. I saw the challenges with the currency fluctuations and the movement of trade that devastated our local economy over many years. We should be prepared for turbulence in the economy that may arise but that nobody can readily predict. The current geopolitical uncertainty clearly shows the economic challenges that can arise from such turbulence.

As the Taoiseach will know, I see at first hand the value and importance of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement as a representative of southern Ulster counties. Thankfully, we have one economy now - the all-Ireland economy. However, the central Border region of Cavan, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Armagh is vulnerable because it is highly dependent on a small number of particular sectors, such as food, farming, construction products and tourism. We should undertake comprehensive studies to identify the challenges but also the opportunities to ensure our central Border region is not disadvantaged.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Funding for the shared island initiative - an initiative brought in by the Taoiseach in 2020 - increased by €1 billion in the last budget, which is very welcome. It has supported a wide range of projects, cultural and community groups and infrastructural projects, which the Taoiseach outlined his reply. As Chair of the Good Friday Agreement committee, I have seen first hand the benefit and improvements it has made and, indeed, the popularity of the funding itself. Some €100 million of the shared island fund is for a new multi-annual programmes that deepen co-operation and connections across the island. The Taoiseach mentioned sustainable tourism, nature restoration, the important Dublin-Derry airlink service and the shared island media fund. Thirteen new tourism projects were approved under the shared island coast to coast capital investment scheme worth €2.7 million. In sport, about which I have spoken to the Taoiseach previously, there is €1.9 million in funding under the shared island civic society fund. The sport element is so important to communities, reconciliation and a greater understanding across the island. It is something that we should be looking to fund further. Hopefully, in the Taoiseach's response, he might outline how best it can be done under the shared island funding.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The shared island unit has been a major success under the Taoiseach's stewardship. A lot of money, co-operation and good initiatives have taken place. I wish to raise an issue that I hope the Taoiseach will discuss with his counterparts at some point. At the moment, there are 6,445 Irish artefacts held in the British Museum. I know the Taoiseach is very interested in history, as am I. I would not have a major problem if those items were on display. History is a global commodity. I would like to think if I was in London with my kids that they could go into the British Museum and see Irish artefacts. Likewise, we should be able to see arteacts from all over the world. However, most of these are held in archive boxes never to be seen. Some of them at least could be repatriated to Ireland. There could be maybe some dialogue on that. Some of them could be brought to local museums. Some of them have been bought, acquired or looted over the years. It would be good to have dialogue at this point. The Egyptian Government has ongoing dialogue with the British Museum about the Rosetta Stone. I would love to see some dialogue about some of these artefacts. We cannot paint them all with the one brush. From an Irish perspective, I would like some artefacts to be seen globably.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to raise the murder of Seamus Ludlow on 2 May 1976. We are beyond 50 years. We are talking about a family that has been failed. The initial Garda investigation shut up shop within three weeks. The Royal Ulster Constabulary, RUC, provided the names of those believed to be involved back in 1979. We are talking about loyalists and some of them were members of the British Army. They were questioned in 1998 by the RUC. Admissions were made in relation to a number of them being there when the murder happened. We have seen no action over the years. The family have had to go to court. They have been to Europe. The family have not been sufficiently supported. They had a moment of hope with a new investigation but what they discovered was a new witness, who was not even questioned during that investigation, had seen suspicious activity in a car the morning Seamus was found that turned out to be connected to SAS incursion that happened soon after in Omeath. This is not acceptable in any way, shape or form. There is a need for the Minister for justice and Garda Commissioner to meet the family who have been failed for far too long.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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The moniker for the Fianna Fáil Party is the Republican Party. What is the Taoiseach's plan to end partition? There is a huge set of tricky issues here. How do we integrate a health service? How do we think about housing? Property prices are about a half or third in Northern Ireland. How do we think about public transport? How do we think about constitutional changes? It does not seem like there is any planning happening in the Taoiseach's Department. That is a real challenge for many people who believe that should be something that we aim towards. In fact, it is an aim in the Good Friday Agreement with the consent of the communities, North and South. Without a plan, it is almost impossible to convince anyone that will happen, either North or South. How is the Government going to plan for all these public bodies and public services to be integrated in a future united Ireland?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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Nine days ago, hundreds of people marched to Lough Neagh to protest the ecocide of our largest lake. Last year, the EPA published research on 35 lakes in the South. Two thirds are classed as at risk under the water framework directive. Seven important Irish lakes are found to be at high risk of Lough Neagh-type toxic algae blooms, including loughs Derg, Ramor, Sheelin, Sillan, Muckno and Naglack. Lady's Island in Wexford where toxic blue-green algae have all but killed the lake was not included in the research. The EPA said that agricultural diffused population is the most important pressure on most Irish water bodies. It said that phosphorus run-off from pasture-based farming is the most important land-based factor behind algae blooms significantly impacting three quarters of our lakes. The EPA report mentions limiting phosphorus application by farmers, controlling livestock access and safely storing slurry and manure. It recommended creating a harmful algae bloom action plan for Irish lakes. Where is the plan? What is the Government going to do to stop pollution from agriculture devastating more of our lakes like what has happened in Lough Neagh and Lady's Island?

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Stormont is in big trouble. Stormont is in a mess. It is limping on day to day currently. In most of the human indicators in terms of quality of life, the people in the North of Ireland are falling currently. In terms of investment in education, hospital services, children's services and disabilities, money is being reduced on an annual basis. Public services are starting to grind to a halt. There is no doubt that the Sinn Féin, DUP and Alliance Executive is not delivering for the people but Stormont cannot even agree on budget at the moment it is in such trouble. A large part of this problem is because Stormont cannot raise its own funds. It can only raise about 5% of its own income. Wales can raise 10% and Scotland can raise 20%. I asked the Taoiseach a question a number of years ago in relation to the reform of Stormont. At that stage, the Taoiseach agreed with me that it needs to be reformed but he said it was too close to the next Stormont election to do so. Here we are, one year out from the next Stormont election and no work has been done on reform. This is serious. What can we do to reform so that Stormont functions properly and that it can raise its own funds like the other devolved administrations?

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The North-South interconnector is now delayed until 2031. By Government estimates, it will cost up to €100 million. To tie back into what I was saying earlier, the semi-State company's own decarbonising strategy is dependent on 80% of renewables. The Taoiseach is aware of CIÉ. I did not get to the end of my contribution. On the North-South interconnector and private wires, these two were complementary to each other. The main thing is about taking the stress and strain off the grid while these interconnectors are waiting for connection. I welcome the developments in the Celtic interconnector. There have been some hurdles but there always are going to be with infrastructure. It is moving a lot quicker than the North-South interconnector.

I heard the Taoiseach mention in the House that we need to stop using infrastructure as a political football, worrying about election cycle thinking. If we are going to reduce the entire project cost by using a different method, politicians need to give the real impact of that to their communities. At the end of the day, it is the public and those local households that are going to be paying higher energy costs by these projects being delayed.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank all the Deputies for their commentary. Deputy Brendan Smith raised the studies that have been under way by the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, and the ESRI under shared island. There is a range of studies. Never before in the history of the State have we had such a body of research commissioned and completed on the differences between systems in Northern Ireland, be it the health service, education and right across the board, and those in the Republic. There is a very good body of research. The Deputy made a very good suggestion that we would task the NESC with doing a more fundamental economic and social study around the central Border economic corridor. I will bring that idea to the shared island unit and NESC and I will come back to the Deputy on it. It is a positive and constructive idea. There are specific challenges in the area in respect of the regional economic make-up, in terms of farming, food, construction and other areas. We could perhaps design a study for NESC to do on that issue and in that area.

I thank Deputy Cormac Devlin for his role as Chair of the Good Friday committee. He is very much engaged in all of these issues and very much informed about them. It is interesting that, if you take those tourism projects, we have increased passenger traffic on the Dublin-Belfast rail line by 40%. The shops and retailers in the North are doing much better now than they would have been doing if the shared island initiative had not invested in the rail service. This investment has made it an hourly service and, vice versa, people are coming to the Republic more and there are greater connections between people, which is very important. Recently, under the shared island initiative I met people from the west of Ireland involved in knitting and other crafts and there were also people from loyalist east Belfast. Some people from both groups had never been to the other part of the island. For some, it was their first time being in Belfast and for others it was their first time being in Dublin. People talk about unity and all of that, but if we do not increase that level of interaction between people so that they can get to know each other a bit better and understand each other, then we are at nothing.

The Dublin-Derry PSO air service will be funded by the shared island initiative. The Minister of Transport will bring in that public service obligation air service in October of this year. This will be of great value to Derry in particular because the north west has lacked connectivity. The A5 has been snarled in planning and so on. We will have some more announcements under the shared island initiative for a rail service to the north west but it is not as comprehensive as the Dublin-Belfast line, for example. We have done a lot on tourism. The Narrow Water Bridge will transform Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains. That will be completed late next year and it will be a major, iconic manifestation of the investment from the shared island project and initiative.

Deputy Crowe proposed a very interesting idea. He articulated it in a very measured way, unlike other times, but I think he is on to something. I was in France last week and we agreed a project with the French authorities to digitise some Irish archives in France. For example, in Vincennes, there are original letters from Wolfe Tone, including his last letter to the French authorities, asking them to look after his wife and family because he had served the French army in the cause of Ireland. There are also documents relating to Samuel Beckett's role in the French resistance. All of that is in documentation, in French, and sometimes our historians and other interested people do not get access to it. We are going to digitise it and make it available to the public more generally. In terms of Britain, I will follow up on what the Deputy said because he made a very good point. Some of it is artefacts and some of it is archival material. Some of it is online and a lot of people can access it but we could do better in terms of an east-west relationship. Under the UK-Ireland annual summits we now have agreed cultural exchanges. There will be theatrical performances by the Abbey Theatre and others in the UK and vice versa. I take the Deputy's point that there is a lot of stuff buried in archives or storerooms that has not seen the light of day. The real issue is that the Deputy wants access to these artefacts and materials for everybody on the island of Ireland if they are held in Britain. That would be a good first step and then material could be exchanged and sent on loan to various museums and libraries. It is a very good idea and I will pursue it.

I assure Deputy Ó Murchú that again I will talk to the authorities about the murder of Seamus Ludlow. I do not have the latest details the Deputy has regarding new witnesses and so forth.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I will send them on.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Whether it falls within the legacy framework or not, that is perhaps the best avenue to pursue it. If we can get the legislation completed in Westminster and here, we will. That is an important aspect of it. Even though it happened in 1976 the trauma goes on for the second generation - the grandchildren, cousins and nieces - and the need for closure continues with each succeeding generation.

To Deputy Hayes I would say that the most fundamental prerequisite for the unity of the Irish people is reconciliation. We need to build on relationships and really develop them. We also need reform of the Good Friday Agreement in respect of strand 1, which is about how Stormont works. I said this about three years ago at the Alliance Party's annual dinner. The SDLP announced reform plans. Sinn Féin is saying it will announce reform plans. The one party that is opposed to reform plans at the moment or does not believe in the need for it is the DUP. That is an important evolution that we would make politics a bit more normal in terms of where we are now in the configuration of parties and a wider spectrum of views at the moment than may have been there at the time of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, so there has been a significant degree of evolution. Fianna Fáil was very much involved in the Good Friday Agreement and the Downing Street Declaration. It is a passion for the party and something we are deeply committed to. We have left our mark, along with others, in respect of the major milestones. The shared island initiative is probably one of the most significant initiatives since the Good Friday Agreement that is dealing with the practical connections between people North and South. It is having an impact on people but we do need reconciliation in the Wolfe Tone tradition.

Deputy Murphy raised the issue of Lough Neagh and the destruction of many lakes. The nitrates directive will deal with regional plans for water quality across the country. Through the shared island initiative we have supported projects that are trying to deal with Lough Neagh. We have met with the Ministers in the North. They are very frustrated and worried about their capacity to deal with it because of how far the destruction of the habitat and the water quality of the lake has gone. We contributed to trying to help them to deal with the issue. More broadly in terms of lakes across the country and the EPA's work, the Minister for agriculture and the Minister for housing, in the context of the derogation, over the next three years will be implementing significant action plans on water quality throughout the country. There is an agricultural dimension to it, of that there is no doubt.

I think I half answered Deputy Tóibín's question with my response to Deputy Hayes. I do believe we need to reform strand 1. The British Government was reluctant to do so for quite some time. However, the Northern Ireland Secretary has now invited parties to make submissions. I have outlined which parties are prepared to make submissions. They can raise some funding themselves but choose not to, as the Deputy knows. There was a recent report in that regard. They are, perhaps, politically unpalatable but they do have that capacity. It does need reform and I hope some reforms will emerge in the next year.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The Taoiseach left me out.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Heneghan feels left out. The Taoiseach did not answer him.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise. The response to the Deputy’s question was on the next page and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle was looking at me intently.

I could not agree more with the Deputy on the North-South interconnector but there have been a lot of political challenges with it. As I said last week, we all need to pause a bit and say what our priorities are. We need the North-South interconnector in terms of the energy needs of those regions and the country at large. The relevant Minister is present now. On the Deputy’s private wires legislation, he has been consistent in his advocacy for private wires. I appreciate that we should not turn infrastructure into political football. We will continue to engage with the Deputy. I think we are making progress on some of these issues and I hope we can bring people along with us. The agencies have some responsibility in that regard as well. I thank the Deputy and I apologise again.