James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the progress being made on North-South co-operation spatial strategies here in key areas in which Northern Ireland and Ireland share opportunities and challenges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10090/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department enjoys a close working relationship with Northern Ireland's Department of Regional Development on cross-border areas of common interest, including in particular on joint initiatives which can help to inform and frame development and investment opportunities within a broader spatial planning context which can benefit the economies and citizens of both jurisdictions. For example, building on research commissioned by InterTrade Ireland and carried out by the International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD), a Framework for Collaboration on Spatial Strategies on the Island of Ireland, which is currently being finalised, outlines the scope for strategic integration and interaction of the National Spatial Strategy and the Northern Ireland Regional Development Strategy to provide a shared spatial planning context on an all-island basis.

A number of sub-regional cross-border initiatives are also being progressed. For example:

· The Newry-Dundalk Twin City initiative is progressing a range of economic development, tourism promotion, infrastructure co-ordination and planning measures aimed at enhancing the capability of these important urban centres to drive development in the east border area; and

· The Central Border Area Spatial Data project aims to establish a shared data set of relevant information on which to base a longer term spatial vision for the strategic planning and development of the central border area.

It is within this context of national, sub-regional and cross-border interaction that North-South co-operation and collaboration on spatial planning is being advanced.