Brendan Smith urges funding for less-developed border regions
Brendan Smith welcomed additional substantial funding for the Shared Island unit and urged that resources be prioritised for less-developed central border areas, citing Cavanagh, Monaghan, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh. He pressed for departmental mandates to bring forward projects and for local authorities to be central to cross-border delivery, including enterprise units and local innovation centres.
Brendan Smith opened by welcoming the additional substantial funding being provided for the Shared Island unit and referenced the government programme's aim to develop the full potential of the Dublin Belfast economic corridor. He argued that while the corridor may develop, priority must be given to less-developed parts of the central border region to ensure balanced investment.
Smith singled out the central border region and his own counties of Cavanagh and Monaghan, as well as Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh, noting these areas lack the critical mass of a major population. He called for a clear prioritisation of resources for those less-developed areas to address regional disparities.
He stressed the importance of local authorities, recalling that councils were doing cross-border work prior to the Good Friday Agreement and have significant corporate knowledge. Smith welcomed recognition of local authorities' potential and urged their greater involvement in Shared Island projects.
Smith reiterated a proposal he has previously advanced for cross-border enterprise units and local innovation centres on an all-Ireland basis and said such projects should be prioritised. A responding speaker said they would take his points on board, noted a pipeline initiative that engaged about 25 councils, and added that approximately 2.5 to 3 million was allocated from the Shared Island unit via the Department of Foreign Affairs for civic initiatives.
Funding welcomed and priorities
Brendan Smith opened by welcoming the additional substantial funding being provided for the Shared Island unit and referenced the government programme's aim to develop the full potential of the Dublin Belfast economic corridor. He argued that while the corridor may develop, priority must be given to less-developed parts of the central border region to ensure balanced investment.
Focus on less-developed border counties
Smith singled out the central border region and his own counties of Cavanagh and Monaghan, as well as Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh, noting these areas lack the critical mass of a major population. He called for a clear prioritisation of resources for those less-developed areas to address regional disparities.
Role of local authorities and cross-border cooperation
He stressed the importance of local authorities, recalling that councils were doing cross-border work prior to the Good Friday Agreement and have significant corporate knowledge. Smith welcomed recognition of local authorities' potential and urged their greater involvement in Shared Island projects.
Enterprise units, mandates and project pipeline
Smith reiterated a proposal he has previously advanced for cross-border enterprise units and local innovation centres on an all-Ireland basis and said such projects should be prioritised. A responding speaker said they would take his points on board, noted a pipeline initiative that engaged about 25 councils, and added that approximately 2.5 to 3 million was allocated from the Shared Island unit via the Department of Foreign Affairs for civic initiatives.
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Transcript
I welcome the additional substantial funding being provided for the shared island unit. Could I just say that there is a particular need to ensure that the less developed areas the central border region, for example my own counties of Cavanagh, Monaghan and also Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh, we don't have the critical mass of a major population. There is mention in the government programme to develop the full potential of the Dublin Belfast economic corridor. I think that will develop itself. We need to be prioritising resources for the less developed areas, I believe, and I sincerely hope, also mention is made of mandating each government department to come forward projects. That's worthwhile. But I'm very glad that the potential and the role of the local authorities is recognised in that. Because back over the years, and I recall it very well, local authorities prior to the Good Friday Agreement and prior to the political atmosphere, the political environment we have that day, local authorities were doing work on a cross-border basis to their credit. There is great corporate knowledge within local authorities and worthwhile projects and I'm particularly anxious that a proposal I put forward some time ago in relation to the development of enterprise units and local innovation centres on a cross-border all Ireland basis, particularly for the Board of the region, that that should be prioritised. Thank you. Deputy Deputy Brendan Smith, who has been a really consistent voice on behalf of cross-border cooperation and has a great understanding of the issues in that area. I will take on board what he has said in respect of less developed areas. I will say that we are willing to work with county councils on this and we did develop a pipeline initiative some time back about 25 councils engaged and so there is a good pipeline of projects coming through at local authority level through Shared Island funding. There is also funding through the Department of Foreign Affairs which we have allocated from the Shared Island unit for civic groups about two and a half to three million was allocated for civic initiatives on a smaller scale perhaps than the big projects.