Vol. 407 No. 1
70 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether, further to the commitment in the Anglo-Irish Agreement that the Irish and British Government will co-operate to promote the economic and social development of those areas of both parts of Ireland which have suffered most severely from the consequences of the instability of recent years, he has satisfied himself with the progress of the initiatives to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
One of the most important initiatives designed to give effect to this provision of the Anglo-Irish Agreement was the establishment in 1986 of the International Fund for Ireland. The remit of the fund covers the social and economic development of all of Northern Ireland and the six Border counties in the South. To date, the fund has committed about £120 million to approximately 1,700 projects in these areas.
The review of the working of the Anglo-Irish Conference, published in May 1989, places particular emphasis on developing the economic and social aspects of the Agreement. As provided for in the review, a number of Ministers from both sides, including those responsible for Tourism, Transport, Energy, the Environment and Health, have participated in recent Conference meetings.
A further initiative specifically targeting the Border areas, and which has been discussed at a number of Conference meetings, is the Interreg programme of the European Communities. In this regard, the Government and the Northern Ireland authorities have recently presented a joint submission to the European Commission containing a range of measures for implementation over a three year period.
