Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

379. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the establishment of additional cross-Border bodies as provided for in the Good Friday Agreement is under discussion at the North-South Ministerial Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23472/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

All of the North South Bodies are making a considerable contribution towards economic growth right across the island and clearly demonstrate what can be achieved when we pool our resources in key strategic areas. For instance, Tourism Ireland and InterTradeIreland are playing a continuing and central role in our economic recovery, with Tourism Ireland driving record tourism numbers to this island and InterTradeIreland building vital exporting capacity among our small and medium enterprises, the mainstay of the all-island economy. In addition, Waterways Ireland is managing our 1000km of shared waterways, so important for our regional economy and tourism sectors, especially across the border region.

Proposals to establish additional North South Bodies have not been discussed at the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meetings I have attended, and of course, under the terms of the St. Andrew’s Agreement, any such proposals would require the agreement of the Northern Ireland Executive and the Oireachtas before decisions on them could be made by the NSMC.

At the North South Ministerial Council meetings that I have attended, the focus of Ministers has been on discussing the sectoral priorities for additional 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. There have already been considerable advances in some of the priority areas they have identified and I look forward to this continuing.

The North South Bodies are testament to the benefit of working together for mutual benefit. As stated in our Programme for a Partnership Government, we will continue to advance North South cooperation, particularly through cross-border bodies and the North South Ministerial Council and harness the potential of the Stormont House Agreement to develop new areas of cooperation.

At the NSMC Plenary Meeting on 4 July, we discussed the implications of the EU Referendum outcome for Northern Ireland and for relations between North and South. These discussions included the role of the NSMC and North South Bodies. 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.