Since my appointment as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have not yet been notified of any new Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) being developed or considered between bodies under my Department's remit and their Northern counterparts so there has been no necessity for me to carry out a cost/benefit analysis. Should the matter arise I will consider these on a case by case basis and carry out any analysis needed.
Not all bodies under my Department's remit operate MoUs with their Northern Counterparts. The Commission for Railway Regulation (CRR – Railway Safety Commission at the time) established and agreed an MoU with the Department for Regional Development of Northern Ireland (DRDNI) as the National Safety Authorities (NSA) in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland respectively. The MoU sets out the principles for effective liaison, communication and co-operation between these parties so that supervision activity on the railways on the island of Ireland can be undertaken in a thorough and co-ordinated way.
The MoU recognises that all parties have duties to perform in relation to supervision and that each party in fulfilling these duties should appropriately take into account the respective roles and responsibilities of the other parties.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Transport NI are currently in the process of putting in place a MoU for cross-border mutual support in the event of severe winter weather. This is being coordinated by TII's Winter Maintenance manager and his counterpart in Northern Ireland.
The objective of the MoU is to ensure that procedures are in place such that, if requested, resources, including staff and winter equipment such as snow ploughs and blowers, can be made available to the neighbouring jurisdiction in a severe weather event. From a TII perspective, this involves coordinating arrangements with local authorities along the border and with TII's MMaRC (Motorway Maintenance & Renewals) Contractors. The MoU will be operational for the commencement of the 2016/2017 winter season.
Tourism Ireland is responsible for the overseas marketing of the entire island of Ireland as a tourist destination and receives funding from both my Department and the Department of the Economy in Northern Ireland. It works closely with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland to deliver its remit. The company was established on foot of the Good Friday Agreement and formally incorporated on 11 December 2000. Tourism Ireland's operations are governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association and is accountable to the North South Ministerial Council.
