Finance | Fiscal Matters Throughout Ireland

QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Finance the degree to which he and his Department can influence and coordinate fiscal matters in such a way as to support and encourage growth and development throughout the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which he continues to maintain contact with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland with a view to achieving maximum cooperation and benefit throughout the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY
As the Deputy will be aware, the North-South Ministerial Council, as one of the formal structures provided for in the Good Friday Agreement, has not met in recent years. That has been very unfortunate as that forum has served as an important means of engagement through which to support co-operation on a whole range of areas. That said, at the time of writing there are positive signals on the restoration of the Assembly and the Executive. The government greatly welcomes these developments and I look forward to early engagement with the Executive’s Minister for Finance once appointed.

Notwithstanding the institutional challenges of recent years, there has continued to be engagement of varying natures by both myself and officials in my Department. For example, I addressed the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Kildare last October, an important gathering which includes elected members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and which was also addressed by a minister from the UK Government’s Northern Ireland Office. At official level, my Department is also involved at senior levels in various interactions with the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

As the Deputy is aware, more broadly the government’s Shared Island initiative aims to harness the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance cooperation, connection and mutual understanding on the island and engage with all communities and traditions to build consensus around a shared future. The initiative aims at further developing the all-island economy, deepening North/South cooperation, and investing in the North West and border regions. I and my Department are of course closely associated with this important work.