25. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14895/26]

Sentiment score: 0.11

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. The progressive shared island initiative is bringing to fruition many cross-Border and all-Ireland projects that many of us thought would never be realised. The National Economic and Social Council, the ESRI and some universities have been enabled to carry out very substantial comprehensive studies through shared island funding. Through the office of An Taoiseach and in various parliamentary questions, I have asked if the National Economic and Social Council will undertake a study of the challenges facing the central Border region, North and South, and also identify the opportunities for further economic development. I have been a representative in the southern Ulster counties for some time. I saw the challenges with the currency fluctuations and the movement of trade that devastated our local economy over many years. We should be prepared for turbulence in the economy that may arise but that nobody can readily predict. The current geopolitical uncertainty clearly shows the economic challenges that can arise from such turbulence. As the Taoiseach will know, I see at first hand the value and importance of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement as a representative of southern Ulster counties. Thankfully, we have one economy now - the all-Ireland economy. However, the central Border region of Cavan, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Armagh is vulnerable because it is highly dependent on a small number of particular sectors, such as food, farming, construction products and tourism. We should undertake comprehensive studies to identify the challenges but also the opportunities to ensure our central Border region is not disadvantaged.

Sentiment score: 0.30