As Minister for Rural and Community Development I attend plenary meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council, the structure through which the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive work together across six areas of cooperation, including Agriculture and Rural Development, to agree common policies and approaches for the mutual benefit of all residents of the island. While my Department has not commissioned any research through the North-South Ministerial Council, my officials engage with Northern Ireland counterparts on an ongoing basis to progress specific initiatives or areas of work. A key forum for this engagement is the North-South Rural Policy Forum, which was established in 2021 arising from a commitment in Our Rural Future to enhance North-South cooperation in relation to issues that impact on rural areas and communities. The Forum meets twice yearly to share information and experiences and discuss areas of potential cooperation across the many areas of commonality between the two jurisdictions. Five meetings have been held to date.With regard to communities in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland, I am particularly pleased that my Department is an accountable Department for various thematic areas under the PEACE programme which supports peace and reconciliation and promotes the social and economic stability of all communities. The Special EU Programme Body (SEUPB), a North South Implementation Body established under the Good Friday Agreement manages the EU co-funded cross border PEACE programmes.While my Department has not commissioned any research relating to the PEACE programme through any all-island arrangements, the SEUPB, In its capacity as Managing Authority , from time to time commissions research for the purposes of informing the development and evaluation of the programmes, most recently on the development of the PEACEPLUS programme 2021-2027. Further information on published reports are available on the SEUPB website as well as evaluations on the implementation and impact of previous PEACE programmes.The Shared Island initiative, led by the Department of the Taoiseach, is fostering new investment and development opportunities on a North/South basis. The investment is benefitting many rural communities North and South. My Department is funding a feasibility study on the development of a Connected Hubs Network on an all-island basis as an action under the Shared Island initiative. A successful tenderer was selected in the later part of 2023 and the work on the study will commence shortly.My Department remains committed to deepening collaboration with our colleagues in Northern Ireland to share information and identify areas for further co-operation.
