Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will outline projects with which her Department cooperates with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in the North. [54149/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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There are no projects in which my Department cooperates directly with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in the North. The ongoing North South work of my Department takes place under the auspices of the North South Ministerial Council. Examples of some of the important work approached on a collaborative basis between my officials and their counter parts in Northern Ireland are:

- the establishment of the North South Child Protection Hub, (a dedicated on-line child protection resource);

- the development of an "Inter-Jurisdictional Protocol for the Transfer of Child Care cases between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland";

- a review of vetting and barring arrangements in both jurisdictions;

- the development of a joint communication strategy to promote awareness of child welfare and protection;

- promoting internet safety in the area of child welfare and protection;

- promoting North-South Education and Training Standards in Youth Work; and

- promoting Youth Exchange Programmes (e.g. 'Causeway')

In addition, the Irish Youth Justice Service in my Department is involved in a North-South Process which is led by the Department of Justice and Equality under the auspices of the St. Andrews Agreement.

The Youth Justice Project Advisory Group is one of six strands in this process. It aims to guide and support co-operation in the youth justice area on both sides of the border; to provide a forum for the active exchange of information, ideas and expertise between participating bodies on matters including restorative justice and tackling re offending; and the examination and identification of the areas where joint working could take place. The North-South Youth Justice Project Advisory Group meets twice a year and reports to the North-South High Level Senior Officials Group.