Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 April 2014
113. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the actions being taken to support the economy of the Border region through the North-South Ministerial Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17457/14]
View answerNorth South economic co-operation and the development of the border region continues to be a priority of mine and of the Government. To this effect, there is on-going dialogue between relevant Ministers and officials, North and South, to promote economic development, job creation and innovation on a cross-border basis.
The role of the North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) is to develop consultation, co-operation and action on an all-island basis to the mutual benefit of the two administrations, North and South. I attend NSMC meetings both in Plenary format – involving a wide group of Ministers from both administrations – and also in Trade and Business Development Sectoral format. In the sectoral meetings I engage with my counterpart, Ms. Arlene Foster MLA, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive. I will continue to pursue relevant and appropriate initiatives through the NSMC, as it represents a very useful forum to assess issues affecting enterprise and business in the border countries and to drive cross border economic development.
The work of InterTradeIreland is central to discussions at NSMC sectorals. The Body, which is co-funded by my Department and by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) in Belfast, initiates a wide range of enterprise development programmes that are tailored to the specific needs of companies throughout the island that want to increase their export and innovation potential.
In addition, my Department works closely with our counterparts in DETI, both through bilateral dialogue and also through the offices of the NSMC. This allows key issues affecting the development of cross-border trade to be examined.
Other relevant initiatives include the current EU INTERREG Programme, which my Department co-funds, which also contributes to the development of the economy of the border region. To date 29 enterprise-themed projects based in the border counties have been approved. These projects included initiatives to address barriers to trade faced by micro-enterprises in border counties, assisting with market entry support, developing cross-border linkages, business support mentoring, capacity building for SMEs, schemes for assisting specific enterprise sectors, the provision of two Enterprise Centres and the provision of two major Science Parks.
Work is underway in devising the structure of the next strand of the INTERREG Programme for the period up to 2020, and my Department is involved in that process.
In addition close co-operation has been established between Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland on a range of specific projects and issues. Network groups such as the Irish Central Border Area Network, the North West Region Cross Border Group and East Border Region Ltd. also have been very active in helping enterprise development in the border region.
It is my intention to continue to pursue relevant and appropriate initiatives for the development of the all-island economy, including the border region, through the North South Ministerial Council and through other mechanisms as appropriate.
