Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Is cúis áthais dom a bheith ar ais arís sa Seanad chun an Bille seo a chur faoi bhráid an Tí. The British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006 is a short technical amendment to the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999. The amendment concerns one of the North-South bodies, namely, the Special EU Programmes Body, SEUPB. I will outline the wider background to this Bill and to the Special EU Programmes Body.

The Good Friday Agreement provided the basis for a balanced political settlement in Northern Ireland. In particular, it recognised the importance of relationships, including those between North and South on this island and between east and west. Strand two of the Agreement concerns the institutions committed to developing the relationship between North and South. The North-South Ministerial Council allows Ministers from both jurisdictions to undertake "consultation, co-operation and action" on matters of mutual interest, to the benefit of the people, North and South.

The Agreement also provided for co-operation in a number of specific sectors, to be brought forward by new North-South Implementation Bodies, commonly referred to as the North-South bodies. Under the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999, six such bodies were established, namely, the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission; the North-South Language Body, comprising Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster Scots Agency; the Food Safety Promotion Board; InterTradeIreland; Waterways Ireland; and the Special EU Programmes Body.

The purpose of this Bill is to amend the provisions of the Act relating to the Special EU Programmes Body. This body was set up in 1999 with a specific purpose. At the time of the Good Friday Agreement, international support was generously offered by friends of Ireland overseas, including, in particular, our European partners. The European Union was strongly committed to supporting the new arrangements. This support included a commitment to provide substantial funding to develop peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and in the Border area.

This funding was provided through two programmes — the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation and the INTERREG programme. I will speak in more detail about these programmes later. Next year, under the new EU financial perspectives, there will be changes in the funding structures for the period 2007 to 2013. While the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation will continue much as before, the policy areas and objectives covered by the INTERREG programme will be transferred to a new EU territorial co-operation objective. As a result, the terms used in describing the SEUPB's remit in the 1999 Act become out of date.

It was always the Government's clear intention that the SEUPB should continue its role in managing these EU funds, and the British Government shared this intention. The two Governments confirmed this shared understanding through an exchange of letters signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Peter Hain, on 25 July this year. These letters make clear the joint intention of the two Governments that certain terms used in the 1999 Act, such as "community initiatives", would include "successor, substitute and equivalent programmes, building on the same substantive objectives, priorities, policy areas and activities". This exchange of letters constituted an international agreement to which this Bill gives domestic legal effect. In clarifying the references to the new EU funding structures, this legislation will put the SEUPB on a sound footing as it prepares new peace and territorial co-operation programmes.

The Government has consistently sought to bolster and protect the North-South bodies which have had to operate in an often fluid and difficult political climate. Since the suspension of the institutions in 2002, the North-South Ministerial Council has not been able to meet and the bodies were unable to operate in a manner that would allow them to reach their full potential. The constraints imposed by suspension make the SEUPB's success all the more remarkable. The SEUPB is made up of 45 staff with headquarters in Belfast and regional offices in Monaghan and Omagh. Since its establishment in 1999, it has acted as a conduit for more than €1 billion in funding to 12 counties, North and South.

In practical terms, this means that 6,500 projects have received funding from the SEUPB. It has acquired a formidable reputation throughout the European Union as a manager of Structural Funds programmes. It is widely seen as one of the most competent managing authorities in Europe. It has met the demanding financial targets set by the EU each year and is used as a model of best practice internationally. The impact of the funds it manages can be seen throughout Northern Ireland and in the six Border counties — Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.

The first of the two main funds managed by the SEUPB is the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. It is aimed at promoting reconciliation and helping to build a more peaceful and stable society. In the past six years, €868 million has been granted to 6,000 projects throughout Northern Ireland and the Border region. The impact of this funding has transformed the lives of many people of all backgrounds. Some 45,000 small businesses have received support, resulting in the creation of almost 2,000 jobs. Some 46,000 people have participated in projects aimed at facilitating reconciliation, peace building, social and urban regeneration, and providing training for children and young people who have been particularly affected by the conflict. In addition, more than 89,000 people have participated in cross-Border activities. In these ways, the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation has played a vital part in the peace process in Northern Ireland by providing assistance to support reconciliation and to help the region move towards a more peaceful and stable society.

The second EU programme, INTERREG, is especially focused on addressing the economic and social disadvantage which result from the existence of the Border. In the past six years, €182 million has been invested in 320 cross-Border projects, with impressive results. Some 250 jobs have been created or safeguarded through rural initiatives and more than 900 businesses have been helped to expand. Nearly 3,400 people have participated in training and education initiatives and more than 1,000 health care professionals have been trained in the Border region. In addition, numerous infrastructure improvements have been made, including the upgrade of the Dublin to Belfast rail line, provision of broadband services along the Border, creation of a virtual technology zone in the north west, port safety navigational improvements and road re-alignment schemes.

The INTERREG programme has helped to create genuine cross-Border partnerships and has greatly improved the economic and social landscape of the Border region. The distinctively European character of the funding brings a special added value. By highlighting aspects of our shared identity, it facilitates programmes on a cross-community and cross-Border basis which might otherwise face difficulties. While much has been achieved with EU funding to date, there is no doubt that the support of the European Union will continue to be important as we move forward.

We are at a critical juncture in the peace process in Northern Ireland. While today's legislation is important to its continued effective operation, the SEUPB, like the other North-South bodies, will only be able to reach its full potential in the context of the restoration of the power-sharing institutions, including the North-South Ministerial Council.

The agreement reached at St. Andrews in October sets out the way for all Northern Irish political parties to commit to the full operation of stable power-sharing government in Northern Ireland and the restoration of all Good Friday Agreement institutions. It provides for full support for policing and the criminal justice institutions, including the Northern Ireland Policing Board. In addition, it sets out specific commitments in areas such as human rights and equality, arrangements for a financial package and a timetable for implementation.

Consistent with the St. Andrews Agreement timetable, the British Government has introduced legislation to make the necessary provisions to allow devolved government to be restored in Northern Ireland in March 2007. This provides for the electoral endorsement of the St. Andrews Agreement, by way of elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, on 7 March 2007. The British Government has made clear, however, that an election would only take place in these circumstances, if the parties are working constructively towards participation in a power-sharing Executive by 26 March 2007.

If it is considered that there is no reasonable prospect of establishing a power-sharing government, the Northern Ireland Assembly can be dissolved at any time before 25 March 2007. In these circumstances, the two Governments would move immediately to implement new British-Irish partnership arrangements. On 24 November, we had confirmation that, subject to the outcome of the election and other necessary conditions, Dr. Ian Paisley and Mr. Martin McGuinness would be First and Deputy First Ministers, on restoration in March next.

The process will of course continue to require careful management over the coming weeks and months to bring it to a successful completion. All parties will have to play their part in ensuring the timetable is met. For its part, the Government will continue to work in close partnership with the British Government, as well as with all parties, to secure our overriding priority for the restoration of power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

At the same time, recognising the benefits of working together, North and South, the British and Irish Governments are actively strengthening economic co-operation, intensifying co-operation in the planning and delivery of infrastructure on the island, as well as in the provision of public services, such as health care and education.

Last Friday's attack in Stormont was a sober reminder that there are those who would wish to bring Northern Ireland back to a darker time. Much has yet to be done to achieve lasting reconciliation in Northern Ireland. The Special EU Programmes Body has a clear role to play in this. In managing the EU's financial support over the past seven years, it has played a strong role in promoting peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and the Border counties. In recognition of this key role, the Government is ensuring the body's remit is absolutely clear. The Government believes it and the other North-South implementation bodies will have an important role to play in ensuring the economic benefits of the hoped for new dispensation are widely enjoyed, not only in Northern Ireland, but across the island.

As the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European affairs, I have worked closely with the Special EU Programmes Body, as well as participating in the difficult strand 2 talks. I commend the work of this unique body, its chief executive, Mr. Colgan, and all of its executive staff. I commend the Bill to Seanad Éireann.