Vol. 503 No. 3
176 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the creation of a British-Irish Studies Institute at University College Dublin; and his further views on whether this institute should be assisted in its work by the British and Irish Governments in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement. [9802/99]
I welcome the establishment of an Institute for British-Irish Studies at University College Dublin, which has been made possible by a generous private gift to the university. The institute's planned research programmes have the potential to contribute positively to improved understanding and relationships within these islands, particularly in the context of the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, and the Department of Foreign Affairs looks forward to co-operating with it in pursuit of this objective.
I am confident that the British Government would share my positive view of the institute and of other similar research projects being developed in third level educational institutions elsewhere in these islands. The generosity of the private benefactor in this case is certainly encouraging at a time when both Governments and the parties are seeking to implement the institutional provisions of the Good Friday Agreement. I am aware that this initiative by UCD has also been brought to the attention of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science.
