Martin Ferris
Ceist:1627 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the progress which has been made towards the development of a cross-Border approach to rural development. [16898/02]
Written Answers. - Rural Development.
Martin Ferris
Ceist:1628 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs following the joint communique of the agriculture sector of the North-South Ministerial Council of 27 September, the steps which have been taken to initiate the cross-Border rural development projects outlined. [16899/02]
Martin Ferris
Ceist:1629 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if the progress report on the work of the steering committee on cross-Border rural development will be made available to Dáil Éireann. [16946/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1627 to 1629, inclusive, together.
The steering committee on cross-Border rural development comprises representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in Ireland, the NSMC secretariat and the Special EU Programmes Body.
The committee reports periodically to the NSMC. Its terms of reference are: to promote the maximum co-operation in the implementation of rural development programmes and on EU programmes; to exchange information on experience and best practice in both jurisdictions in relation to rural development; and to examine the scope for a common approach to the feasibility of developing cross-Border area based strategies and rural development research.
In support of its work the committee commissioned two studies in 2001 in relation to co-operation between cross-Border rural communities and cross-Border education, training and research in rural development.
In relation to the first study, at its meeting in April the NSMC endorsed the main finding, namely that an area based approach to cross-Border rural development should be adopted. The rural initiative measure of the INTEREGG III programme was identified as the vehicle through which this approach could be implemented. At its meeting on 27 September, the council agreed that the steering committee should initiate action to invite applications from partnerships for selection of four or five geographically defined Border areas. The committee is currently engaged in drawing up criteria for the selection of groups.
In relation to the second study, the main recommendation was the establishment of a one stop shop to collate and provide information on cross-Border rural development education, training and research. The steering committee considers that there are key concerns to be addressed before a recommendation can be proposed to the council. These concerns relate to: the extensive range of organisations involved in providing education, training and research on both sides of the Border; the statutory responsibility of some of the organisations, for example Teagasc; and the exact physical location of the one stop shop.
The steering committee will propose a response to the recommendations of this study at the next meeting of the council.
At its meeting on 27 September the council also noted that the Rural Community Network (Northern Ireland) and Irish Rural Link (Ireland) had been successful in their application to deliver the Cross-Border Community Development measure of the PEACE II programme. The two organisations have been allocated €970,000 to implement this measure, the aim of which is to develop a strategy to address the problems of weak community infrastructure and marginalisation in Border communities.
Under the Leader+ programme, local action groups have been selected on both sides of the Border. It is envisaged that proposals for cross-Border projects will be invited by the groups in the Border area in 2003.
I am arranging to have copies of the progress report on the work of the steering committee on cross-Border rural development, which was considered by the Council on 27 September, placed in the Oireachtas Library.