Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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355. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is satisfied with the level of data collected on the issues which come under his Department's remit; the steps he will take to work with the administration in Northern Ireland to collect data under his aegis on a North-South basis; and the budgets he will put in place to undertake this work (details supplied). [14442/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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My Department, which promotes and coordinates North South cooperation across various sectors, particularly through supporting the work of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), is very mindful of the importance of all relevant sources of data which can assist in advancing this objective. North/South co-operation between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive is primarily taken forward by means of the six North South Implementation Bodies and in six agreed and designated sectoral areas of cooperation.

My Department does not have a specific role or responsibility for the collection of data of an all-island nature. There are however many sources of data concerning socio-economic activity and issues on the island, including the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), the North South Implementation Bodies and indeed the various Departments who have sectoral responsibilities in the relevant specific areas. The adequacy or otherwise of the available sectoral data can best be assessed by the relevant Ministers North and South.

At meetings of the NSMC the focus of Ministers has been on the priorities for additional North South co-operation which they have identified in their respective areas of responsibility, particularly as regards assisting economic recovery, job creation, the best use of public funds and the most effective delivery of services for citizens across the island. As indicated in the recent Programme for a Partnership Government, I look forward to the further development of mutual North South benefit, particularly through the ongoing work of the NSMC.