Vol. 512 No. 1
66 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science the way in which his Department is promoting North-South cross-Border co-operation in third level education provision; and the future plans, if any, he has in this area. [25361/99]
The Deputy will be aware that considerable co-operation and collaboration exists across all aspects of third level education. These include initiatives funded under EU programmes such as INTERREG and the Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. Projects at Letterkenny, Dundalk and Sligo Institutes of Technology have benefited from co-funding arrangements under INTERREG. Two recent initiatives funded under the Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation and co-funded by both administrations, north and south are: the Queen's University-Dublin City University joint initiative – the Centre for Cross Border Studies. This is a university based project set up to research and develop ideas for practical cross-border co-operation; the Letterkenny Institute of Technology-University of Ulster joint initiative – SME Innovative Growth which involves the development of business management skills with small-medium enterprises in the Border area of north west of northern and southern Ireland.
It is my wish to actively promote inter-institutional co-operation at third level and indeed at all levels of the education sector within the framework of the Good Friday Agreement. This is reflected in the commitment in Chapter 9 of the National Development Plan – a Common Chapter in the respective plans, North and South. This recognises that the valuable linkages which have been developed, provide the basis to establish more closely integrated, coherent approaches in the future between both education sectors in the future. Among the types of activities which the Common Chapter identified for possible promotion are: inter-active approaches and at university and further education level, in areas such as R & D support for SMES; and the development of lifelong learning.
The Deputy will be aware, in this context, that under the direction of the North-South Ministerial Council, both administrations intend, in our common interests, to take forward and enhance co-operation in these and other agreed areas in the future. The Deputy can be assured that the facilitation and support of activities in agreed areas will be one of my major policy priorities.
