asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the positive and concrete efforts the Government are making to promote and become involved in economic, social, cultural and educational programmes in co-operation with the administration in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Co-operation With Nothern Ireland Administration .
18.
: The Deputy will be aware that at my meeting last April with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State our joint communiqué called for an early progress report on the action being taken in relation to cross-Border reports and other cross-Border economic projects. In response to this request officials from Belfast and Dublin have since produced a document which provides a comprehensive review of cross-Border economic projects and the progress being made in the completion and implementation of the various cross-Border economic studies. An opportunity was also taken in this document to outline and review the co-operation between various Government Departments and authorities North and South in a wide variety of areas including in the economic, social, cultural and educational areas. This report which is entitled Report to Ministers on North/South Economic Co-operation was jointly published in July 1980 and copies are available in the Dáil Library.
It is the policy of the Government to encourage worthwhile co-operation with Northern Ireland. The Report to Ministers on North/South Economic Co-operation shows the significant extent to which these efforts are being pursued.
: While I agree that we need some positive approach to the Northern Ireland question, is the Minister aware that very little progress has been made in such areas as education between the Government here in the South and the Administration in the North? He may waffle the answer but I am not satisfied that sufficient is being done by his Government to improve relations with the Northern Ireland Administration nor has enough been done in serious vein to ensure that we get some closer links together on education, industrial, social and cultural matters.
: It is not a matter of waffle. Only at the very last meeting of the Council of Minister were we able finally to unblock the non-quota regional fund allocation under which between contributions from the British Government, the Irish Government and the Community about £31 million would be available in the current year for expenditure on these projects. We have just submitted our projects to the Commission. The British Government are doing likewise. This allocation of money was held up by reason of the contribution problem which the British Government had. They refused to unblock these moneys. The moneys now are unblocked and I hope to see soon the progress that the Deputy desires.
: Is the Minister in a position to outline to the House the progress that has been made on the reports published by the North-Eastern Development Organisation of a study which was carried out by Dr. Cathal Lennon of Stokes Kennedy Crowley?
: There are five projects altogether and the works to be done are now submitted to the Commission by the Irish Government. The British Government are doing likewise. Funds now are available, having been freed finally, so work should start fairly quickly.
: Is this part of the £100 million referred to by the EEC Commission?
: No, this is a separate matter. That is a matter under the British Exchequer. I am talking about a special non-quota section under which 5 per cent of the regional fund was allocated for specific projects—in our case cross-Border projects. That is the gist of what Deputy Collins was talking about.
: The Minister says that some of these plans are with the EEC at present. That report was published over 12 months ago. How long will it take before any concrete, definite works will be undertaken in regard to that project?
: Not before December 1980. I explained that the funds were not available until the last few weeks and due to our persistent efforts at the Council of Ministers, we finally got the funds unblocked. The British Government were delaying the funds until their contribution disagreement with the Community was finally settled. It was settled at the recent Council of Ministers' meeting and funds are now available.