Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 212: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance 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. [22598/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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There is a North/South dimension to the work of a number of areas in my Department. The lead North-South section in my Department is mainly involved in the process of agreeing corporate plans, business plans and annual budgets for the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), one of the North/South Bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement. In co-operation with sponsor Departments, it is also involved in agreeing guidance for the bodies on various matters such as proper financial procedures. This work involves regular attendance at joint North/South meetings and liaison at official level with the administration in Northern Ireland. For example, the recent plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) which took place at Armagh in July.

My Department actively assists cross border co-operation through supporting the SEUPB in its role as managing authority to two EU funded cross-Border programmes. The SEUPB is one of six North-South Implementation Bodies set up under Strand II of the Good Friday Agreement. It operates under the political direction of the North South Ministerial Council. The operating costs are met by my Department (50%) and the Department of Finance and Personnel, Northern Ireland (50%).

The two North-South EU programmes for the period 2000-2006 are PEACE II and INTERREG IIIA. Successor programmes for the period 2007-2013 were successfully negotiated by the two member states and will, pending EU Commission approval, commence before the end of 2007.

The aim of the unique EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation is to promote reconciliation and help to build a more peaceful and stable society in Northern Ireland and the six southern bordering counties, Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth. It has a strong cross-Border focus; a minimum of €87 million of funds, including the national contribution, will be allocated to southern Border counties in the public, private and community sectors, for the purpose of engaging in mutually beneficial cross-border peace and reconciliation activities. The total value of the overall PEACE effort since its commencement in 1995 is €1,504m.

The value of the Peace III programme (2007-2013), including national contributions, will be €333 million. I am very aware of the importance of the work of the programme to the peace process.

The INTERREG programmes aim to address the economic and social disadvantage that can result from the existence of a border. Previous INTERREG programmes covered most of Northern Ireland and the six southern bordering counties. However, the INTERREG IV programme (2007-2013) includes a new dimension as it also covers western parts of Scotland. All projects must include a North-South element and the priorities in this area will be transport, business, and the environment. A minimum of €70 million of funds will be allocated to southern Border counties with a view to promoting a more prosperous and sustainable cross-Border region. The total value of the INTERREG IV programme (2007-2013), including national contributions, will be €256 million.

With regard to the INTERREG Programmes, I am pleased to say that my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland (DFPNI), is hosting an INTERREG Information Seminar which will shortly be held at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, Dublin, on Tuesday 23 October and which will provide a full day's programme of information on all aspects of EU-funded INTERREG programmes in Ireland both North and South. In addition to the Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland INTERREG Programme, this seminar will also focus on the increased potential for North-South cooperation in the INTERREG Transnational programmes and the INTERREG Inter-regional Programme of which Ireland and Northern-Ireland, the UK and other EU member states are joint members. The list of speakers will include representatives of the Irish Regional Assemblies and the SEUPB.

There are on-going contacts between my Department and the DFPNI and the critical importance of these ongoing contacts is well understood. So also is the significance of the all-Ireland economy, and the National Development Plan for 2007-2013, the drafting of which has been coordinated by my Department, reflects the Government's stress on the importance of the all-Ireland dimension.

Last week on Wednesday 3 October, officials of my Department together with officials from a number of other Government departments, attended the Northern Ireland Economic Conference 2007 in Belfast and participated in the Conference workshops. Therefore, I can assure the Deputy that the North-South unit of my Department is fully aware of the importance of the North/South dimension and is actively engaged in the planning and the implementation of activities in this regard.