North-South Ministerial Council

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

Questions (343, 344, 345, 346, 349)

Gerry Adams

Question:

343. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the agenda for the North-South Ministerial Council meeting on 10 June 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14492/16]

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Gerry Adams

Question:

344. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his preparatory work for the North-South Ministerial Council meeting on 10 June 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14491/16]

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Gerry Adams

Question:

345. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress, especially in respect of the infrastructure goals that were agreed, since the last North-South Ministerial Council meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14493/16]

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Micheál Martin

Question:

346. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline a schedule for proposals concerning the expansion of cross-Border co-operation on service provision and joint executive bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14512/16]

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Micheál Martin

Question:

349. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the next meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council is planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14462/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 to 346, inclusive, and 349 together.

While a date for the next meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in Plenary format has not yet been agreed with the Northern Ireland Executive, I would hope that the meeting, to be held in Dublin, will take place shortly. This will be the first Plenary meeting of the Council since the elections on both sides of the border. I would expect that, in addition to providing an opportunity for the Government and the new Northern Ireland Executive to discuss North/South co-operation in the months ahead, the agenda will include the usual discussions on economic and financial matters, co-operation on EU matters, review of existing NSMC work programmes and a range of other issues.

Considerable preparatory work is done in advance of NSMC meetings including preparation of meeting papers and following up on decisions of previous NSMC meetings. Following the Plenary meeting which took place in Armagh on 11 December 2015, much work has been done in regard to the implementation of the commitments for targeted investment in cross-border economic infrastructure which are set out in Section E of the November 2015 Fresh Start Agreement.

As agreed under the Fresh Start Agreement, a report on those commitments including the A5, reviews of the Narrow Water Bridge and Ulster Canal projects, the North West Gateway Initiative and on opportunities to source further investment for all-island infrastructure projects for mutual benefit has been prepared for consideration at the next NSMC Plenary meeting. Preparation of the report has involved Senior Officials from relevant Departments, North and South, meeting on a number of occasions since November 2015 to review and to maintain a strategic overview of economic and infrastructural investment, with particular regard to the projects and commitments set out in the Fresh Start Agreement.

This Agreement also contained a commitment to establish a North West Development Fund to support the North West Gateway Initiative work of Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council. Through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Government has allocated €2.5 million towards the establishment of the Fund. The Northern Ireland Executive is working on the modalities of its matching funding.

At the NSMC meetings that I have attended the focus of Ministers has been on identifying priorities for North South co-operation in their respective areas of responsibility, particularly as regards assisting economic recovery, job creation, the best use of public funds and the most effective delivery of services for citizens across the island. The Government is committed in the Programme for a Partnership Government to continue to advance North South cooperation, particularly through cross-border bodies and the North South Ministerial Council and to harness the potential of the Stormont House Agreement to develop new areas of cooperation in areas such as trade, health, and tourism. I expect therefore that the forthcoming NSMC Plenary will provide a very useful opportunity for the Government to engage with the new Northern Ireland Executive on these matters.