101. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the role his Department is playing in supporting, strengthening and expanding the areas of co-operation under the North-South Ministerial Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56947/25]

Sentiment score: 0.26

I ask about the role the Tánaiste and his Department are playing in supporting, strengthening and expanding the areas for co-operation under strand two of the Good Friday Agreement through the operation of the North-South Ministerial Council, which had its plenary meeting a few days ago.

Sentiment score: 0.92

I thank the Tánaiste for that reply. For sure, the North-South Ministerial Council is one of the great institutions under the Good Friday Agreement to advance co-operation on the island and to embed that co-operation between the two administrations. In the communiqué that was published, there is the sheer fact that was pointed to with regard to the investment that has been made, such as the greenway investment and the soon-to-be-started Dublin to Derry air link. The A5 being stalled in the courts is obviously an issue but that is something I know the Government is fully behind. I would love to see the Government and the Executive move to a place of expanding those areas already identified in the Good Friday Agreement. For example, here is the whole area of skills, apprenticeships and further education. We have launched an all-Ireland apprenticeship model in the past few days but I think there is a massive opportunity for us there in terms of attaining the all-Ireland labour market. We need to continue to deepen our co-operation in healthcare, specifically in the area of public health, which is complimentary to what the Tánaiste stated on emergency management. Then there is public transport and having a truly connected public transport system across both jurisdictions.

Sentiment score: 0.35

I am encouraged to hear the Tánaiste talking about the importance of those dynamic co-operations. When you look at three strands of the Good Friday Agreement, while there have been stops and starts with strand one, the Executive and the Assembly in Northern Ireland, by its very nature strand two cannot operate without strand one being in place, so it is good to see that renewed momentum. The challenge for us now is to embed that co-operation so that it is not just about investment but, as the Tánaiste said, it is about joint co-operation, joint research design and joint strategy on advancing policy outcomes. I would hate for us to move to a space where it is all just around the investment and paying for stuff as opposed to - as the Tánaiste has rightly pointed out - the need for us to have that really proactive co-operation with regard to those conversations, and then being innovative and exploratory in how we deepen those 12 areas of co-operation. I refer to using education as a vehicle to advance skills connectedness and a joined-up skills strategy on the island, which then lays the foundation for an all-Ireland labour market. Of the three strands of the agreement, strand three is probably the best embedded because of what happened with Brexit and the fact that it does not depend on the Executive and the Assembly. We need to have that same impetus and momentum behind strand two of the agreement as well.

Sentiment score: 0.49