Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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253. To ask the Minister for Finance the degree to which he can influence and coordinate fiscal matters in such a way as to support and encourage growth and development throughout the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29082/24]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, institutions established under the Good Friday Agreement are key to north-south co-operation and the promotion of peace and prosperity across Ireland. With thanks to the restoration of both the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly, the North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) met for the first time in a number of years in early April. My predecessor, former Minister McGrath, met his Northern Ireland Executive counterpart on a number of occasions this year and I would hope to do the same in the period ahead.

As the Deputy is aware, more broadly the government’s Shared Island initiative aims to harness the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance cooperation, connection and mutual understanding on the island and engage with all communities and traditions to build consensus around a shared future. The initiative aims at further developing the all-island economy, deepening North/South cooperation, and investing in the North West and border regions. I and my Department are of course closely associated with this important work.

Under the Shared Island Fund, earlier this year the government announced €800 million in funding for cross-border investment commitments and objectives, notably in relation to the A5 road upgrade. This builds on work in relation to other key projects such as the Ulster Canal restoration and capital investment at Ulster University’s Derry campus.

The initiative is taken forward on a whole of government basis, coordinated through the Shared Island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.

Further information on the Shared Island Initiative, including the newly published 2023 annual report, is available on