Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to strengthen engagement with regard to the North-South Ministerial Council and North-South bodies in general given the United Kingdom referendum result, the subsequent possibility of the re-emergence of a hard border on this island and the threat to European Union PEACE funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19460/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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In line with the Government’s commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Governmentto continue to advance North South cooperation, my Department promotes and coordinates such cooperation, particularly through supporting the work of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC). In the aftermath of the UK Referendum vote to leave the European Union this is now of vital importance.

There was a Plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council yesterday 4 July in Dublin Castle at which Government and Northern Ireland Executive Ministers together discussed the implications of the Referendum outcome for Northern Ireland and for relations between North and South on this island. We also looked at what we can do together to minimise difficulties that may arise from the outcome. This followed my meetings with Northern Ireland political leaders in Belfast last week.

At yesterday’s Plenary meeting it was agreed that the Government and the Executive will work even more closely together to ensure that the gains of the peace process and North/South co-operation are fully protected in any new arrangements which may emerge as regards the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union. The Council also affirmed the important role that the NSMC plays in political and administrative relationships on this island and as a forum for ongoing North South discussion on important matters of mutual interest.

The Council agreed that the NSMC sectoral meetings in the coming months which involve our Ministers and their opposite numbers in the Executive, will examine the implications of the UK referendum outcome and the need for possible mitigating actions in their areas of responsibility. It was agreed that a further discussion on the implications of the referendum result will take place at the next NSMC Plenary meeting which is scheduled for November of this year.

The North South Bodies, particularly Tourism Ireland and InterTradeIreland, are playing a continuing and central role in our economic recovery.

All of the North South Bodies are testament to the benefit of working together for mutual benefit, and in the light of the Referendum result it will be important that the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government continue to fully support the work of the Bodies.

In our contingency plan to deal with the possibility of the UK leaving the EU, one of the key actions is to monitor the short term impacts on enterprise and trade in border counties. As details of the UK’s exit framework emerge, we have recognised in our contingency planning the need to possibly revise and enhance the work and capability of InterTradeIreland, the North South Trade and Business Body, to ensure that companies trading across the border (in both directions) would be in position to deal with any added administrative burdens and procedures.

While future arrangements in regard to the border will not exclusively be determined by the combined wishes of the Irish Government, the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, as far as I am aware, no major party in Northern Ireland wants to see the re-imposition of a hard border on the island. They, as do we, all wish to see a continuation of freedom of movement of trade, services and people on the island.

The current PEACE and INTERREG Programmes which have now opened for funding calls are worth almost half a billion euro up to 2020, to be administered through the Special EU Programmes Body. At yesterday’s North South Ministerial Council Plenary meeting the Council reiterated our joint commitment to the successful implementation of these programmes, and agreed that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Northern Ireland Finance Minister will further consider the issue of securing the ERDF funding for PEACE and INTERREG, including through engagement with the European Commission.