John Perry
Question:76 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made to date by the North-South Ministerial Council. [21551/02]
Written Answers. - Northern Ireland Issues.
Since its establishment on 2 December 1999, the North-South Ministerial Council has met on 65 occasions, four of which meetings were in plenary format.
Substantial progress has been made on a wide range of areas within the work programmes agreed by the council. Some recent initiatives include: the agreement of an all-island animal health strategy; a successful overseas tourism marketing campaign for the entire island of Ireland by the North-South tourism company, Tourism Ireland Limited, and the launch by InterTradeIreland of the Equity Network programme which stimulates the use of private equity and venture capital as a means to accelerate business growth in the SME sector. There has also been agreement on the establishment of an all-island facility to provide expert advice and guidance on best practice in the field of diagnosis and assessment of children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders.
Progress in these and other areas by the North-South Ministerial Council demonstrates the importance of the council in making a real difference in matters which are of tangible benefit to people throughout the island of Ireland.
Regrettably, since the temporary suspension of the Northern Assembly on 14 October, the North-South Ministerial Council has been unable to meet. However, the two Governments are determined to protect and develop the achievements of the Good Friday Agreement in the area of North-South co-operation, particularly in relation to the continuous operation of the North-South bodies.