Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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69. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the consultations to date between her Department and its agencies with their counterparts in Northern Ireland in relation to the development of cross-Border tourism projects under the Peace Plus Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23675/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware, the PEACE PLUS 2021-2027 programme presents an excellent opportunity to deliver North-South co-operation projects in the border counties and tourism is one of the investment areas identified under the programme.

Since 2019, officials in my Department have been engaging with their counterparts in the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland and with the three tourism agencies on the island – Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland - to identify possible tourism initiatives or pipeline projects that may qualify for PEACE PLUS funding.

Department officials, both North and South, continue to engage with the three tourism agencies and the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) in advance of Calls for Applications for cross-border tourism related projects, after which a joint tourism proposal will be submitted to the SEUPB for consideration for programme funding.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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71. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department would engage with a local committee (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23658/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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My Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy and implementation of that policy is a matter for the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, as well as certain other bodies. Fáilte Ireland is of course available to engage with and advise those involved in the tourism sector and I suggest that this should be a logical first step for the proposed project.