Written answers

Tuesday, 15 November 2005

Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism

North-South Co-operation

9:00 pm

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 347: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will report on the work of the North-South unit in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34211/05]

Photo of John O'DonoghueJohn O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Since its establishment, the North-South unit in my Department has been actively pursuing opportunities to facilitate, strengthen and enhance North-South co-operation across the three sectors under my remit as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. The unit also monitors progress on specific initiatives or priority actions in relation to North-South co-operation in the sectors in question. In considering any such initiatives, the overriding principle has been that they should offer clear and tangible benefits, North and South.

Tourism was identified in the Good Friday Agreement as an area of co-operation. With the establishment of Tourism Ireland as a North-South body responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas, we now have a shining example of the tangible of North-South co-operation.

North-South co-operation on tourism exists on a less formal basis in areas such as education and training, product marketing and publicity, tourism statistics and research, e-business and e-marketing and accommodation standards. A number of initiatives are being developed and pursued by the tourism agencies across these areas to deepen the level of co-operation that already exists.

With regard to sport, the two sports councils on the island enjoy a strong working relationship. An all-island planning group, composed of members and staff of both councils, meets two or three times a year and serves as a forum for information exchange and so on. The chief executives of the two councils meet formally on average about three times a year. There are ongoing engagements regarding operational matters at executive level, for example, on drug testing. I was delighted to participate at a major sports conference in Kildare at the end of October which was organised jointly by the two sports councils and further underscored the strength of their relationship.

On the arts front, the Arts Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland have developed a very close working relationship over many years. The councils meet annually and their staff maintain ongoing contacts in regular meetings, especially regarding strategic projects and the development of common policy approaches. As a sign of their commitment to working collaboratively, the councils recently established a North-South sub-committee to progress matters of common interest in a strategic manner. The sub-committee is responsible for specifying joint objectives and providing a platform for information exchange with regard to those organisations that are jointly-funded by both councils. The councils have successfully collaborated on a number of projects including the recent FOUR NOW exhibition, a joint-exhibition from the visual arts collections of the two councils at the Glucksman Gallery, Cork.

I have been actively engaged on the North-South agenda and will continue to make the case at political level for closer co-operation. In that context, I have met my tourism and arts and sports counterparts in Northern Ireland, Ms Angela Smith MP and Mr. David Hanson MP, to discuss potential new areas for cooperation. Today, I will be attending the world travel market in London, the premier international tourism showcase, along with my colleague, Ms Angela Smith, as part of a major Tourism Ireland promotion at that event.

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