Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport if he will outline the extent of co-operation between him and his equivalent in the Six Counties; if there are plans to extend this cooperation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10615/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to supporting North/South co-operation, particularly in the context of the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrew's Agreement.

As the Deputy is aware, there are two North/South Implementation Bodies under my Department's remit - Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga (the Language Body). The latter body consists of two agencies – Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency/Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch. These bodies were set up under the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999. Both of the Implementation Bodies carry out a range of activities in line with their remits with funding from the two Sponsor Departments – my own Department and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) in Northern Ireland.

I look forward, along with the Minister of State at my Department, Mr Donnchadh Mac Fhionnlaoich, T.D., to participating regularly in meetings of the North South Ministerial Council, in both the Waterways and Language sectoral formats and in its plenary format. I am advised that a North South Ministerial Council meeting in plenary format is to take place on 10 June next and that meetings in sectoral format for both Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga are currently being scheduled.

In general terms, it would be my objective to avail of all suitable opportunities to advance North/South co-operation across the range of my Department's functions, including arts, culture, language, islands and heritage. In this regard, I hope to make early contact with my Ministerial counterpart in the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure when the appointment in question has been made by the Northern Ireland Assembly.