Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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101. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps he has taken with his counterparts in the Northern Executive to promote trade and support enterprises along the border corridor. [18631/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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North South economic co-operation is and will remain a priority of mine and of the Government. To this effect, there is on-going dialogue between relevant Ministers and officials, North and South, to promote economic development, job creation and innovation, in the border region. From my own perspective, I attend meetings in the Trade and Business development sectoral format of the North South Ministerial Council and, also, of the North South Plenary, which are hosted by either the Taoiseach or the First and Deputy First Ministers. At these meetings there is full engagement with Northern Ministers, and particularly at the sectoral meetings, where I have direct discussions with my N.I. counterpart, Ms Arlene Foster MLA, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, on a wide range of business issues of mutual interest.

My officials engage in on-going dialogue with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (D'ETI). A key area of such regular engagement is on the operation of InterTradeIreland , the North/South Trade and Business Development Implementation Body, which is co-funded by my Department and D'ETI. I am pleased that despite the serious economic pressures, I have been able to ensure that no significant cutbacks have been applied to our funding of that body over recent years. Another key area of engagement at Departmental level is our joint support for enterprise projects under the Interreg initiative, which is co-funded by the EU, by my Department and by either D'ETI or the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel. The most recent significant such project involves the establishment of a significant North West Science Park, to be co-located in Derry and Letterkenny, in respect of which we have agreed financial support. Officials in both jurisdictions are also engaged in a process which will hopefully see a new Interreg Scheme initiated when the current phase expires in 2014. Officials of my Department are also engaging with D'ETI in relation to work on the EU's Regional Aid guidelines.

In addition to direct Departmental engagement, there is a long history of co-operative action between enterprise agencies on both sides of the border to achieve mutual benefits. Enterprise Ireland, which stimulates the development of indigenous enterprise, has extensive contact with its Northern counterparts and works with them on a range of programmes to drive job creation in border areas. IDA Ireland collaborates with Invest Northern Ireland, for example, in the Northwest Now initiative. More recently, there have been very positive developments where a wide range of agencies and institutions now co-operate on Science and Technology issues, including participation in the EU Research Framework Programme.

Several of the County Enterprise Boards in the border area are engaged in co-operative economic initiatives with various bodies in Northern Ireland, some funded by the enterprise strand of the Interreg programmes referred to above. My Department, along with our enterprise development agencies, will continue to work diligently with our counterpart Department and relevant Northern Ireland Agencies to increase the economic benefits, especially on job creation, research and innovation, which can accrue from practical co-operation.