Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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756. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of engagement between her Department and the agencies under its remit with their counterparts in Northern Ireland in the ongoing Brexit negotiations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53911/17]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has responsibility for coordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit. In this capacity, he is working closely with his colleagues across Government to address the many challenges arising from the decision taken by the United Kingdom. This cooperation also involves the relevant State Agencies.

Work at Cabinet level is being prepared through cross-Departmental coordination structures. These represent a frequent and active channel through which all relevant Departments are providing their research, analysis and overall policy input to the Government’s wider response to Brexit. 

In relation to the work undertaken by my Department with regard to Brexit, I would refer the Deputy to the replies given to Parliamentary Questions No 923 of 20 June, No 257 of 12 July, No 741 of 11 September and  No 586 of 7 November.

The main forum for advancing North South cooperation is the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), which was established under Strand Two of the Good Friday Agreement.  In the Council, the Government works with the Northern Ireland Executive to advance areas of practical co-operation which are to our mutual benefit, and the Council oversees co-operation in the agreed twelve Areas or Sectors. The power-sharing Executive and the Assembly are responsible for representing the interests of all of the people of Northern Ireland, including in relation to how the issues arising with the UK exit from the EU should be addressed.  It is imperative that the devolved institutions can urgently operate again so that the North South Ministerial Council can resume its work and bring together the Government and the Executive to oversee and develop North/South cooperation, including that commenced last year to coordinate engagement by the Government and the Executive on dealing with the challenges raised on an all-island basis by the UK exit.

In six of these Sectors provided for under the Good Friday Agreement, co-operation is taken forward by means of the North South Implementation Bodies: Waterways Ireland, Food Safety Promotion Board, InterTradeIreland, Special EU Programmes Body, North/South Language Body, and the Loughs Agency, all of which operate on an all-island basis.

My Department co-sponsors two of the six North-South Implementation Bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement, Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga / the Language Body. 

Prior to the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, my predecessor Minister Heather Humphreys had discussed with the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure, Mr Chris Hazard, MLA, whose Department co-sponsors Waterways Ireland, and with the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities, Mr. Paul Givan, MLA, whose Department co-sponsors the Language Body their readiness to further explore the scope for co-operation to achieve the best outcome for the two Implementation Bodies in light of the potential challenges they face.  My predecessor, along with her Northern counterparts, attended the last NSMC Plenary meeting in November 2016 at which Common Principles were agreed to coordinate engagement by the Government and the Executive to deal with the challenges that are raised on an all-island basis by the UK exit from the European Union.  I very much hope that these contacts can continue as soon as the NSMC is once again able to meet.

My Department continues to participate in inter-Departmental preparations for Brexit and has established an internal Working Group to address all Brexit related issues affecting the Department and the State Bodies it funds, including the two North South bodies referred to above.

The arrangements which I have outlined are kept under constant review and will be enhanced as required in light of the ongoing preparations for Brexit.