Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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379. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she is satisfied with the level of data that is collected on the issues which come under her Department's remit; the steps she will take to work with the administration in Northern Ireland to collect data under her aegis on a North-South basis; and the budgets she will put in place to undertake this work (details supplied). [14435/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The ongoing collection and updating of relevant data in relation to operational and policy matters is an integral part of the work of my Department and the work of the bodies under its aegis. As part of this ongoing process, a significant degree of cooperation also takes place with our counterpart Departments and agencies in Northern Ireland.

With specific reference to the two North-South Implementation Bodies under the remit of my Department, Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga, I can confirm that there is ongoing liaison with the corresponding Departments in Northern Ireland in relation to the sharing of information and data to bolster policy development in areas of common interest and in the furtherance of North South cooperation. In that regard, the ESRI research report ‘Attitudes towards the Irish Language on the Island of Ireland’, which was commissioned by Foras na Gaeilge and published last year, illustrates the benefits of conducting research and collecting data in an all-island context.

I am pleased to confirm that my Department also enjoys a considerable level with the corresponding Departments and agencies in Northern Ireland on a range of other matters of mutual interest and concern. These include a range of biodiversity matters, which are addressed not only in an all island context but in a wider European context. Other examples of cooperation include the National Landscape Strategy, which was developed in accordance with the European Landscape Convention, a key element of which is the emphasis on the transboundary nature of landscape. In carrying out the associated landscape character assessment as part of the strategy, consideration will be given to seeking a reciprocal arrangement with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland to further develop the transboundary component of the assessment.

I am also pleased to advise that the 'The Royal Sites of Ireland', made up of Cashel, Dún Ailinne, the Rathcroghan Complex, the Tara Complex, Eamhain Mhacha in Armagh and the Hill of Uisneach, is included in Ireland’s current Tentative List for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage status. My Department is working in co-operation with the Northern Ireland authorities to advance the proposal to formal nomination stage.