My officials and I are directly involved in ongoing and frequent North South engagement. Officials within my Department work closely with the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) in Northern Ireland as joint sponsor Departments of the Special EU Programmes Body, one of the North South implementation bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement. Officials also work closely with the Special EU Programmes Body and DFP with regard to the management and implementation of the EU co-funded cross border programmes, PEACE III and Interreg IVA. This work is undertaken within the framework of the North South Ministerial Council and I regularly meet with my Northern Ireland counterpart at the North South Ministerial Council in Special EU Programmes format to advance this work. My Department also works with DFP in other cross-cutting areas relating to the administration and governance of the North/South implementation bodies established under the British-Irish Agreement. I also attend the North South Ministerial Council when it meets in plenary format.
The current priorities in this area are the management and implementation of the PEACE III and Interreg IVA programmes and beginning the planning for the new round of funding for the 2014-2020 period. Responsibility for North South issues is located within my Department’s EU/North South Unit with 1 Principal Officer, 1 Assistant Principal Officer and 1 Higher Executive Officer specifically responsible for North South matters in a wider European funding context, with assistance and involvement of other officers as required on specific issues. There are no vacancies at present in the team.
