Brendan Smith calls for NESC study of central border economy
Brendan Smith urged the NESC to carry out a dedicated assessment of the all-Ireland economy with a focus on the central border region and cross-border trade, saying the area is vulnerable and reliant on a narrow set of sectors. He warned of Brexit-related tariff risks, cited the economic gains from the Good Friday Agreement, and pressed for research and preparedness to protect border communities north and south.
He asked that the NESC carry out an assessment of the all-Ireland economy, particularly in the context of cross-border trade, pointing to "huge development, huge growth" since the Good Friday Agreement and describing the island increasingly as one economy.
He highlighted the central border area - naming Cavan, Monaghan, Ferman, Turon and Armagh - as vulnerable because it is highly dependent on a small number of sectors, including food, farming, construction products and tourism. He warned that currency fluctuations and trade shifts have previously devastated the local economy and said the region must be prepared for economic turbulence and possible tariff differentials.
Brendan Smith said he has repeatedly flagged the issue with a predecessor and during earlier periods in office, and that he has sought action through the Office of Antichok and via parliamentary questions. He argued that a focused, central border study would be more specific than previous north-south reports.
A ministerial response recorded in the exchange committed to reverting to the NESC, acknowledged existing NESC work on north-south developments, and agreed that a more specific study of the central border area may be warranted. The reply also suggested that the IDA could reasonably pursue foreign direct investment on a north-south basis and that the border area has not been promoted to the extent it might have been in the past.
Call for NESC assessment
He asked that the NESC carry out an assessment of the all-Ireland economy, particularly in the context of cross-border trade, pointing to "huge development, huge growth" since the Good Friday Agreement and describing the island increasingly as one economy.
Vulnerabilities in the central border region
He highlighted the central border area - naming Cavan, Monaghan, Ferman, Turon and Armagh - as vulnerable because it is highly dependent on a small number of sectors, including food, farming, construction products and tourism. He warned that currency fluctuations and trade shifts have previously devastated the local economy and said the region must be prepared for economic turbulence and possible tariff differentials.
Previous requests and parliamentary routes
Brendan Smith said he has repeatedly flagged the issue with a predecessor and during earlier periods in office, and that he has sought action through the Office of Antichok and via parliamentary questions. He argued that a focused, central border study would be more specific than previous north-south reports.
Ministerial reply and investment options
A ministerial response recorded in the exchange committed to reverting to the NESC, acknowledged existing NESC work on north-south developments, and agreed that a more specific study of the central border area may be warranted. The reply also suggested that the IDA could reasonably pursue foreign direct investment on a north-south basis and that the border area has not been promoted to the extent it might have been in the past.
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Transcript
Of course, the NESC are doing studies in very, very important areas and very comprehensive studies as well. Could I just mention again one issue that I have flagged with your predecessor, Tisha, with yourself when you held the office previously as well. Would the NESC carry out an assessment of the all-Ireland economy, particularly in the context of cross-border trade, where there has been a huge development, huge growth for the benefit of all of our country? Representing two of the southern Ulster counties, I see at first-hand the value and the importance of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and what it has done from so many points of view and also from the economic point of view. We have the one economy now. We have the all-Ireland economy. But if you take the central border region, if you take Cavan, Monaghan, Ferman, Turon and Armagh, we are vulnerable, so we are, because we're highly dependent on a small number of particular sectors. We're dependent on food, farming, construction products, tourism as well. We saw the threat that existed from Brexit. We also see now the challenges that may arise, and hopefully that don't arise, in the context of tariffs being imposed on the European Union, maybe at a different rate than those that would be imposed on Britain. And we all sincerely hope that that doesn't happen. But we have to be prepared for that. So I have asked repeatedly for the NESC, through the Office of Antichok and through various parliamentary questions, if a particular study would be done on the challenges facing the central border region, both north and south, and also the opportunities for further economic development. I've been a representative there for quite some time. I saw the challenges that there was with currency fluctuations, the movement of trade, which devastated our local economy over so many years. So we should be prepared for turbulence in the economy that may arise that nobody can readily predict either. So I think it's one area that we need to do more research on and be prepared. Thank you. Thank you. Deputy Brendan Smith, I certainly will revert back to NESC. In terms of your consistent seeking of a particular study on the challenges facing the central border area, and there has been a number of reports done by NESC on north-south developments and so on, but I think you want something more specific to the central border area, and the challenges in respect to that area, and I've also made the point myself that in terms of foreign direct investment in and around the border area or on a north-south basis, that that is something that the IDA could reasonably pursue as well, and it's an area that hasn't really been pursued to the degree that it could have been perhaps in the past. there's no such problem or something that that makes the hope to achieve more cargo, and to be sure, your input is completely delivered by cutting-edge lawyers, not yeter, but you can also benefit fromlus обязательно. Our perspective is that the land and its beginning that the international nations have fallen withaneously the two states. Thank you.