Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will meet with the new British Chancellor for official discussion on indirect taxation in advance of the British budget that will be announced soon; if he acknowledges the importance of such bilateralism to enterprise in Ulster and in the Border regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22501/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, I met with the former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alastair Darling, over the course of the last year and discussed a range of financial and budgetary matters with him. I also met the current Chancellor George Osborne at the recent meetings in Brussels regarding the Euro and will continue to meet with him and the other European Finance Ministers at the monthly ECOFIN council meetings in Brussels. However, I have no plans to meet the Chancellor over the coming weeks in the context of the UK Budget planned for 22 June. In relation to North-South trade, the Irish Government remains strongly committed to North/South cooperation and we will continue to explore ways in which we can work closely with our colleagues in the North to advance our common interests.