Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will pass on the Senator's request to the Taoiseach and the Ministers. We have a Taoiseach who is probably the most committed to education we have ever seen. He is also committed to breaking down the barriers between people within the North and between North and South. That is what this Taoiseach is about. One way of doing that is expanding access to education, both regionally for the north west and Derry and with regard to the cross-Border education aspect, which has not been given the attention it deserves over the years. I assure the Senator that this will be progressed under the Taoiseach and his Government. This will be a real commitment and the Senator will see real action on it. The Government fully recognises the need for further investment and development in Border areas. We are committed to exploring opportunities for investment that will further support communities to bring greater economic prosperity and social benefits to the wider region but, most importantly, breaking down barriers and bringing together the people of this shared island. That is how we will make progress economically and socially.

The PEACE+ programme will be important as well. The Taoiseach was key to negotiating that programme at the European Council and we are working to ensure the North of Ireland and the Border counties achieve the greatest possible benefit from the programme over the next few years. The Taoiseach and I will be keeping a close eye on that programme of money.