Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement there has been with his Department, State agencies and Department counterparts in the North, on the issues impacting cross border employment and enterprise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32380/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I and officials in the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, in collaboration with its agencies – including Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices, have had ongoing active engagement with counterparts in Northern Ireland, particularly through the Shared Island Initiative and InterTradeIreland. These engagements aim to strengthen economic ties, support enterprise development, and address labour mobility challenges across the border.

Recent engagements include:

• The Shared Island funding of over €800 million, announced earlier this year, which supports a range of cross-border projects. These include enterprise cooperation schemes, female entrepreneurship programmes, and infrastructure investments. Shared island engagement continues between DETE and the Department for the Economy and the relevant agencies in both jurisdictions.
• I had a recent online meeting with NI Minister for the Department for the Economy, Caoimhe Archibald, in which a broad range of topics including jobs and enterprise were discussed.
• Earlier this year a Joint DETE – DfE Management Board Meeting took place in which jobs were discussed and how both Departments can continue to collaborate to benefit enterprise both North and South. By way of follow up a team from DETE, visited Belfast last week for a joint economic research seminar with DfE NI colleagues focussing on productivity and skills and labour market issues in both parts of Ireland.
• The NSMC hosted a Sectoral meeting earlier this year where there were valuable discussions on InterTradeIreland’s progress. These discussions highlighted the valuable input of ITI in creating cross border relationships between businesses. ITI launched its Digital Trade Hub in 2023, and this platform provides ongoing guidance on matters including cross-border employment, customs, and regulation. It received over 15,000 users in its first months, indicating strong demand for support.
• There has been enterprise agency collaboration, where Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland are working together on pilot schemes to support SMEs and innovation on a cross-border basis. Last month I spoke of the Shared Island Enterprise scheme, which involves three leading economic development agencies, ITI, Enterprise Ireland and Invest NI, as a key milestone in driving forward all-island economic collaboration to create a more prosperous, inclusive, innovative and sustainable enterprise environment across the island.
• The North-West Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024, which explicitly recognises the strategic importance of cross-border cooperation and outlines actions to support enterprise and employment in the region. The plan recognizes the region's border location and encourages partnerships and initiatives to promote enterprise across the border.
• Officials from the Department regularly meet with their Northern counterparts to discuss ways in which continued collaboration can help grow cross border relationships benefiting enterprise specifically SME’s both North and South.
• There are a number of factors influencing Cross border employment and enterprise. I and my officials are working closely with NI counterparts to address these which include:
• Regulatory Divergence creates uncertainty for employers operating on both sides of the border, especially SMEs.
• Workers who live in one jurisdiction and work in another face complex tax and social security arrangements. Dual payroll systems, pension tax relief disparities, and differing benefit entitlements can be burdensome for both employers and employees. Pay can also be an issue cross border as employers in certain jurisdictions can have different wages for employees for the same job.
• The Windsor Framework has eased some tensions; however, businesses still face challenges related to customs procedures, supply chain logistics and regulatory compliance when trading across the border.