Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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146. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the issues to be discussed at the next North South Ministerial Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21217/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The next Plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council is scheduled to take place in early June, and is to be chaired by the Taoiseach.

It is likely that discussions will touch on financial and economic issues affecting both jurisdictions and that Ministers from North and South will together take the opportunity to review the work undertaken in the areas of North South cooperation, including by the North South Bodies, since the preceding Plenary meeting on 5 December 2014 in Armagh.

Following on from the Stormont House Agreement, I would expect that the meeting will also review the progress made on developing new priorities for North/South cooperation which have been identified during Ministerial discussions, with the focus on those areas that promote economic recovery, job creation, the best use of tax-payers’ funds and the most effective delivery of public services. The North West Gateway Initiative, the current position on the North South Consultative Forum and other matters of topical concern, in particular cross-border smuggling and fuel laundering, are other matters which are expected to be discussed at the meeting.

The forthcoming Plenary meeting of the Council also offers an opportunity for substantive discussions with our Northern Ireland colleagues on shared interests such as increasing trade and business activity and EU matters, including the new PEACE and INTERREG Cross-Border Programmes.

I am looking forward to the Plenary meeting and to continuing, with my colleagues in Government, to actively pursue our priorities for advancing cooperation with the Northern Ireland Executive, primarily through the structures of the Council.