Written answers

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Department of An Taoiseach

Departmental Offices

Photo of Neale RichmondNeale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

44. To ask the Taoiseach the status of the shared island unit of his Department. [23951/21]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I launched the Government’s Shared Island Initiative in October. The approach of the Shared Island initiative is founded on the Good Friday Agreement and engaging with all communities and traditions to build consensus around a shared future on the island of Ireland.

The Shared Island unit in my Department is a driver and coordinator for this work. Operationally, the unit is focusing its work in three areas: commissioning research, fostering dialogue, and building a Shared Island agenda, including delivery of the commitments in the Programme for Government.

In Budget 2021, the Government announced the Shared Island Fund , €500m to be made available out to 2025, ring-fenced for Shared Island projects.

The Shared Island Fund provides significant new, multi-annual capital funding for investment on a strategic basis in collaborative North/South projects that will support the commitments and objectives of the Good Friday Agreement.

The funding will support the delivery of key cross-border infrastructure initiatives set out in the Programme for Government and foster new investment and development opportunities on a North/South basis. In December, the Government approved over €6m in funding from the Shared Island Fund to enable the continued restoration of the Ulster Canal and further development of the Ulster Canal Greenway.

On 28 April, Minister Humphreys and I launched Phase 2 of the Ulster Canal restoration project - between Clones and Clonfad - with almost €5.6m in funding from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund, in addition to €6m committed by the Shared Island Fund. The Shared Island Fund has also provided a further €1 million for Phase 3 of the project – Clonfad to Castle Saunderson – to undertake the feasibility and pre-construction work, which has now begun.

The Ulster Canal is an excellent example of what North/South cooperation can achieve, as an amenity that connects towns and communities in the central border region, and a sustainable tourism initiative that will create jobs and be a lynchpin for other economic opportunity, on both sides of the border.

The Government will continue to work with the Executive through the North South Ministerial Council, including to progress key cross-border investment projects, which are part of our Shared Island commitments in the Programme for Government.

I launched the Shared Island Dialogue Series to support constructive and inclusive civic engagement on all aspects of a shared future on the island. The series is seeking as broad a range of perspective and experience as possible and supports the Government’s commitment to engage with all communities and traditions on the island on a shared future.

I addressed a Dialogue with young people on 26 November, on the theme of “New Generations and New Voices on the Good Friday Agreement”. Dialogues on Climate and Environment; Civil Society engagement; and Equality on the island, have also been held in recent months, with participation by the relevant Government Ministers.

The Dialogue series will continue through this year, including with a focus on Economy, Health and Education on the island.

The Shared Island unit is progressing a comprehensive research programme , working with the Economic and Social Research Institute, National Economic and Social Council, the Irish Research Council and other partners. North/South and East-West collaboration will be an important part of this work. Initial scoping papers on the ESRI research will be published this month.

Strengthening social, economic and political links on the island and the promotion of all-island approaches to the strategic challenges facing Ireland, North and South are key objectives of this work.

The research programme with the ESRI is on ‘The Economic and Social Opportunities from Increased Cooperation on the Shared Island’. Research outputs will be published and 2021 work is examining aspects of health, education, enterprise and the services economy on the island. Scoping papers on each of the ESRI research topics were published on Monday, 17 May.

The National Economic and Social Council are preparing a report to Government on Shared Island this year, informed by broad consultation, which NESC is conducting with stakeholders North and South.

The Shared Island unit is also working with the Irish Research Council and a funding call is open at present for academic contributions to the Shared Island research programme across a wide range of themes.

More broadly, the Government is committed to working to enhance all aspects of North-South cooperation on the island, including in third-level education, and to supporting a North/South programme of research and innovation, including an all-island research hub.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.