Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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846. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether it is proposed to hold the North-South Ministerial Council on a more regular basis in view of the result of the UK referendum on EU membership. [22471/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The next Plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) will be held in November. I would expect that we will have a further substantive discussion with our Northern Ireland colleagues on the implications of the UK referendum result. The envisaged agenda will also cover discussions on economic and financial matters, a review of existing NSMC work programmes and new priorities for cooperation, as well as a range of other issues - including the North West Gateway Initiative and North/South commitments made under the Fresh Start Agreement of November 2015.

To date this year there have been nine formal meetings of the Council, including the Plenary in Dublin on 4 July, and a number of other Ministerial meetings of the Council in its various formats are planned for the autumn. In 2015 there were twenty one North South Ministerial Council meetings.

The North South Ministerial Council is one of a number of fora, alongside the British Irish Council and the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly, within which it will be possible to discuss with our colleagues from Northern Ireland the implications of the UK referendum vote. In addition, the issue has been discussed and will continue to be discussed in bilateral contacts with the Northern Ireland Executive and with other party leaders in Northern Ireland.

At the Plenary meeting of the NSMC on 4 July in Dublin Castle, the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to work together to ensure that Northern Ireland’s interests are protected and advanced and that the benefits of North/South co-operation are fully recognised in any new arrangements which emerge as regards the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union. The ongoing work to achieve these objectives will be reviewed by the Council when it meets in plenary format in November in Armagh.

It is the Government’s intention to maintain close contact with the Northern Ireland Executive in the period ahead using all appropriate channels both formal and informal.