Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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294. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has spoken formally with her UK counterpart to date in 2021. [29330/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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While I exchanged correspondence with Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State at the Department of Culture, Media & Sport  following my appointment in 2020, I have not as yet had any formal personal engagement with the Secretary of State.

I can confirm to the Deputy, however,  that officials of my Department are in ongoing contact with their UK counterparts in relation to matters of mutual interest across the range of my Department’s remit.

As the deputy is aware my Department is responsible for two of the North-South implementation bodies Tourism Ireland and An Foras Teanga.  I met with Minister Diane Dodds MLA at the NSMC held in July 2020.  Minister Dodds and I also attended an online sectoral NSMC meeting on Tourism in November, while Minister of State Jack Chambers  T.D. met with Minister Carál Ní Chuilín MLA  an online sectoral NSMC meeting on Language bodies in November.