I have received notice from the First Minister and deputy First Minister that they wish to make a statement.

In compliance with section 52C of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to update the House on the thirteenth institutional meeting and twenty-eighth plenary meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC). The meetings were held in Dublin Castle on 13 September 2024, and the deputy First Minister and I have agreed that I will provide the reports.

The first element of the statement relates to the institutional meeting, at which the deputy First Minister and I represented the Executive. The Tánaiste and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin TD, represented the Irish Government, and the meeting was chaired by the Tánaiste.

The institutional meeting began with an update from the joint secretaries during which we noted that meetings had been held in all 12 of the NSMC sectors since April this year. The Council welcomed the fact that the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss had been discussed at all meetings and looked forward to a further update at a plenary meeting later that day.

The NSMC welcomed the fact that outstanding corporate governance decisions for the North/South bodies were being taken and noted that work is under way to finalise the 2025 business plans and budgets. Plans to mark the twenty-fifth year since the establishment of the NSMC and the North/South implementation bodies later in the year were also noted.

The next item on the institutional agenda was disaster risk reduction and emergency planning. During that item, Professor Caroline McMullan of Dublin City University gave a presentation on public safety messaging in border communities. The NSMC noted the civil contingency and resilience arrangements in place, including those relating to cross-border health emergency planning and response. The regular and ongoing collaboration between officials in both jurisdictions on civil contingencies, resilience and preparedness was welcomed. Ministers also welcomed the all-island disaster risk reduction conference series, which is organised by the Irish Government, and noted that it had provided an opportunity to encourage networking, promote dialogue, commission research and deepen cooperation on strategic emergency management matters.

The Council then considered developments in the wider policy environment. The NSMC reaffirmed its support for the PEACE PLUS programme and welcomed the contribution of the programme to promoting peace, reconciliation and prosperity. The British Government's association to the Horizon Europe research programme, which represents an opportunity to advance research, investment and collaboration across the two jurisdictions, was also welcomed.

Ministers acknowledged that student mobility is mutually beneficial to both jurisdictions and invited stakeholders to continue to explore options for students. Government funding that enables Northern Ireland students to avail themselves of the ERASMUS+ programme was also welcomed.

The Council noted that a general election in Britain and elections to the European Parliament had taken place earlier in 2024 and that cooperation on a North/South basis will continue in the context of the evolving nature of EU-UK relations. The position will be monitored in both jurisdictions, and the NSMC will be apprised of relevant developments.

The Council then discussed a number of matters relating to the North/South bodies. It was noted that the Finance Departments have developed a framework that will allow some flexibility while preserving the use of the funding ratios as the primary funding mechanism for the North/South bodies. The NSMC also noted that the CEO posts of the North/South bodies were last reviewed in 2004 and that the joint secretaries will explore with Finance Departments whether a further review is necessary. Ministers also noted that two amendments to the North/South pension scheme are being developed, and those will be brought to the NSMC for approval when the necessary processes are complete. The NSMC then appointed two members to the board of Foras na Gaeilge and agreed that appointments will be made to fill the remaining vacancies on that board and on the boards of other North/South implementation bodies at future meetings.

At the close of the meeting, the Council agreed to meet again in institutional format in 2025. That concludes the element of the statement that relates to the NSMC institutional meeting.

I will now update the House on the NSMC plenary meeting, which was also held on 13 September. At the plenary meeting, the deputy First Minister and I led the Executive delegation, and the Taoiseach led the Irish Government delegation. The meeting was chaired by the Taoiseach.

At the outset of the meeting, the Council extended its congratulations to the athletes from both jurisdictions who had participated in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The skills, commitment and dedication of those athletes, who were competing at the highest level, was recognised.

The Council then had a substantive discussion on business- and trade-related matters. Promoting economic growth in a sustainable and balanced way is a priority for both Administrations, which are committed to supporting businesses and growing trade. Ministers went on to discuss their own plans on how to achieve that. The Council noted that, where appropriate, the NSMC sectors will continue to consider how agreed collaborative approaches will contribute to the promotion of economic growth.

Ministers then considered a report from the joint secretaries on the activity that had taken place since the last plenary meeting in April. It was noted that Ministers had met across 12 NSMC work sectors and that institutional meetings had also taken place. Ministers welcomed the engagement between both Administrations on a wide range of policy matters across all of the NSMC areas of cooperation and noted that the NSMC will be updated on progress at future meetings. The NSMC also welcomed the fact that work programmes had been updated to reflect the emerging policy priorities and noted that Ministers had discussed climate change and loss of biodiversity at all meetings. The positive engagement on those shared challenges was welcomed.

The next item on the agenda related to the various New Decade, New Approach commitments with a cross-border dimension.

The Council noted that the A5 western transport corridor scheme had been discussed at its transport sectoral meeting on 27 June and that the Minister for Infrastructure will submit further papers for Executive approval of the progression of the A5 project. Ministers welcomed the fact that site works for the Narrow Water bridge project began in May 2024 and that the commencement of construction was marked in June 2024 at an event attended by Ministers from both jurisdictions.

Ministers welcomed the fact that phase 2, Clones to Clonfad, of the Ulster canal restoration project had been completed and was officially opened at an event attended by Ministers from both jurisdictions in June 2024. It was noted that a strategy for the completion of phase 3, as a whole, will be finalised by the end of 2024.

The NSMC welcomed the final report and associated environmental assessments of the all-island strategic rail review, which were published by Minister O'Dowd and Minister Ryan in Dundalk on 31 July. Both jurisdictions will continue to work collaboratively to explore the review's recommendations.

On higher education in the north-west, it was noted that pre-application planning consultation has commenced on the construction of the new teaching and student services building at Ulster University's Magee campus. Funding commitments from the Department for the Economy for this financial year were also noted. The Council also noted that two research partnerships have been supported under the co-centre programme and that successful recipients of the Shared Island bioeconomy demonstration initiative funding call will be announced in autumn 2024.

The NSMC agreed that commitments under New Decade, New Approach should remain on the agenda of relevant meetings and that further updates will be provided to future NSMC plenary meetings.

Ministers had a good discussion on the topics of climate change and the loss of biodiversity. Those topics had been considered across all the NSMC sectors, and the cooperation that is under way across both jurisdictions to address those shared challenges was welcomed. The NSMC agreed that the relevant sectors should maintain a focus on those topics at future meetings. The Council specifically welcomed the focus of the Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water on science to support fairer transitions to net zero, reversing biodiversity loss and restoring water quality for a sustainable economy. Ministers noted that the co-centre supports the coordinated science efforts in the Executive's Lough Neagh action plan.

The Council discussed mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses. The NSMC noted the important progress that is being made by the Executive on mother-and-baby institutions and Magdalene laundries and the Irish Government's implementation of the action plan for survivors and former residents of mother-and-baby institutions and county home institutions. In light of the cross-border nature of those institutions, officials from both Administrations will continue to work closely on issues of commonality.

At the end of its meeting, the NSMC approved a schedule of future sectoral meetings, a meeting in institutional format and the next plenary meeting in spring 2025. That concludes the report on the NSMC plenary meeting.

Thank you, First Minister, for the update. The October monitoring round, which was published yesterday by the Finance Minister, includes two reduced requirements relating to matters that were discussed at the NSMC plenary meeting. One is the graduate entry medical school at Magee. The other is the A5 transport corridor, which specifically relates to money given by the Irish Government. That money is now being handed back to the centre because it has not been spent in this financial year. There may be reasonable explanations for that, but are there any live discussions about better communication, North and South, on shared priorities and whether multi-year funding can be agreed on, including Shared Island funding?

I think that the Finance Minister was just setting out a factual position and, of course, it does not detract or take away, in any shape or fashion, from those projects going ahead. It is just a matter of profiling. Certainly, at the NSMC, we stressed the importance of communication As an Executive, we want to get to the point where we have a multi-year Budget situation. That should, in turn, allow us to invest in a multi-year way. We obviously have financial rules around how we fund the NSMC bodies and institutions, but I would like to get to a point where we have a multi-year Budget approach in our public services and in our approach to the NSMC bodies.

I thank the First Minister and deputy First Minister for the read-out of the two meetings. It seems that you covered a lot of ground, which is to be welcomed.

I will focus on the discussion around the mother-and-baby institutions and working closely on common issues. The Committee remains concerned about the sharing of information, especially if the religious order is based in Dublin. Did that come up as an issue that the NSMC is going to explore?

Yes. We have raised that issue on a number of occasions, and we took the opportunity to raise it again because of our commonality, particularly as that jurisdiction has come through inquiries and we need to learn lessons about what worked and what did not work, so that we are best informed in supporting people with the horrible, shameful experience of being in Magdalene laundries and workhouses and mother-and-baby institutions. Ministers agreed, as has been agreed at official level, that, as we advance our plans, we will continue to engage to make sure that we learn those lessons. In particular, we need to work closely on investigative records and memorialisation and on social security benefits, which the Member has previously raised, to ensure that no one is disproportionately impacted on because of compensation that they might receive. We will continue to raise those issues at that level, and I assure the Member that, at official level, work is ongoing.

I thank the First Minister for her statement. The NSMC communiqué noted the commencement of works at Narrow Water bridge in May 2024. Those of us who are local to Warrenpoint know the pace at which those works seem to be progressing. Is the First Minister in a position to give a progress update on the delivery of Narrow Water bridge?

That is, obviously, another strategic project for us, and there is no doubt that it will create and facilitate greater connectivity and mobility. It will also be a great boost to the local economy, which we all very much welcome. The Irish Government are meeting the construction costs via the Shared Island Fund. They are also working closely with the Department for Infrastructure and with Newry, Mourne and Down Council on what is very much a shared project.

After all the years of campaigning, is it not great to see the work happening on the ground? All Ministers were pleased to discuss the progress on it. It is great news that, with the project now progressing on schedule, it is expected to be completed by late 2027, with the bridge handover and opening expected in 2028. We all look forward to that after many years of campaigning to get to this point.

Emergency planning is vital, and additional complexity is created when we discuss border communities. What work is being undertaken to ensure that border communities are prepared for all eventualities?

It is just good common sense for us to cooperate in that area, particularly on emergency planning and given our experience of coming through COVID and what that meant for people who lived in border counties. In the first part of the meeting, we received a presentation about planning and how people receive messages, particularly in times of disaster, which will really helpfully inform how we might communicate with people in border communities.

We had a conversation about officials in the civil contingencies division working with our Southern counterparts working on emergency planning. In the meeting, we reflected on how, when it came to the tragedy and the terrible events in Creeslough, our emergency services were able to assist in what was very much a joined-up effort to respond to a horrible situation. At times like that, when we need to work together, we need the strongest possible protocols, so I welcome the conversation that we had about advancing that work.

Gabhaim buiochas leis an Chéad-Aire.

[Translation: I thank the First Minister.]

I thank the First Minister for her statement. Given the developments since the previous NSMC meeting in September, with the announcement of the A5 road upgrade, does the First Minister agree not only that the upgrade will make the road safer and promote economic opportunities for the north-west but that it is a good example of what we can achieve by working together on an all-Ireland basis?

That is another huge strategic priority for us all. The delivery of the A5 is very much a joined-up effort. I am pleased that, since the meeting, our Infrastructure Minister has been able to announce that he intends to proceed with the construction of the first stretch of the A5 early next year. That is a huge step in the right direction. It is an Executive flagship project, and the Member will know only too well the tragedy of that road. It is a road safety issue and is, ultimately, about saving lives, but it is also about the economic benefit that comes with the construction of the road in improving regional balance, creating jobs, growing the economy and improving journey times for daily users of the route.

Under business and trade matters at the plenary meeting, was there any discussion surrounding the chief executive of Invest NI's comments that there is no evidence that dual market access had attracted any foreign direct investment? Do those comments, coupled with the continued barriers to trade east-west, confirm that dual market access does not actually exist and bust the myth that it does?

We have new leadership in the Economy Department, and that Minister will want to work to all our strengths. We have a unique selling point: it is a selling point that we repeat when we go out to drum up trade and investment. We have unique market access. We have access to two of the biggest markets. Our job as political leaders in the Assembly is to maximise the opportunities to create more jobs and investment and do everything that we can to drum up things that will benefit the people we collectively represent.

I thank the First Minister for her statement. What work is being done to promote opportunities via the ERASMUS+ programme? Can you offer clarity on whether it will be available to Northern Ireland participants?

Yes. We have made progress on that, because there was some fear that we would not have a chance to be part of the programme. It comes under the remit of the work of the two Economy Ministers. Perhaps I can provide you with a bit more information on that. We talked about student movement across the island, which is important. There are barriers to student mobility. The two Ministers will continue to work collectively on that, because we all have something to gain from keeping all our students on the island, whether they choose to study in Belfast, Dublin, Cork or Galway. It is important that we maximise the opportunities and keep our home-grown talent on the island. I will reflect, and, if there is any more additional information on ERASMUS+, I will provide the Member with it.

I thank the Minister for her statement. Minister, I know that you are well aware of the hurt, pain and loss experienced by so many women and girls who were in mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses and their children. Can you give us detail of any conversations about both Governments working together to deliver truth and justice, which is so important, particularly given that we know that women and girls and their babies were moved across the jurisdictions in what was human trafficking?

I agree with the Member. There is no doubt that there is a clear and distinct all-island dimension to mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses. We should do everything we can to cooperate and learn from each other. The historical ill-treatment of and discrimination against women and girls is a source of shame across the island. We need to do everything we can to ensure that we are joined up, working together and doing everything we can to provide access to the truth for the many women who were impacted. We will continue to keep it on the agenda of the North/South Ministerial Council meetings in institutional and plenary format. I assure you that we will continue to reflect on all the issues that I mentioned to the Chair of the TEO Committee — investigative records, access to records, the impact of social security benefits, memorialisation — and learn from things that have not worked to make sure that we do better.

First Minister, point nine of the chapter on disaster risk reduction and emergency planning mentions a series of conferences. Have any of those conferences taken place? If they have, how do they look?

That was an important area of work. The Irish Government continue to deliver a series of conferences on disaster risk reduction. The concept is that they provide practitioners with an opportunity to network to discuss and share best practice, encourage dialogue, share lessons and deepen cooperation to make sure that there are strong partnerships so that, as and when we need to come together, we are able to.

Last Friday, the Irish Government hosted a conference that the permanent secretary of our Department attended along with others. It is important that we continue to learn and share lessons and share information and planning to make sure that we are ready to respond in the event that, God forbid, we find ourselves in an emergency situation.

Minister, in your statement, you referred to the commitment to the PEACE PLUS programme, which, we know, has brought an awful lot of investment, particularly to our constituency. Will you give an update on that?

We mentioned and focused on the PEACE PLUS programme and welcomed its contribution to peace, prosperity and reconciliation. We know that the implementation of PEACE PLUS is well under way, and the majority of the 22 investment areas have opened for applications. We had some positive, game-changer announcements last week that will make a huge difference. Just look at everything that we will have to drive jobs and growth, stimulate development and regeneration and boost access to services in education. We have a commitment to 25 projects so far, covering youth mental health, shared education, local community peace action plans, victims and survivors and the enhancement of cross-border cooperation. There is so much. We need to continue to build on that. I really look forward to that investment being felt strongly in communities across the island.

First Minister, following on from the earlier question from the Chairperson of the Executive Office Committee, has there been any discussion about addressing the needs of those who have been missed by the scope of the historical institutional abuse inquiry, including those who suffered at the hands of clerics who operated on both sides of the border?

That was not discussed directly at the NSMC, but we are looking at the issue of clerical child abuse. We have research on that area under way, because we committed to doing that some time ago. I am committed to making sure that we bring that forward as quickly as we can and get it right.

I call Cara Hunter.

I do not have a question.

I thank the First Minister and the deputy First Minister for their commitment to the North/South ministerial process.

On Horizon Europe research and the need to get more R&D funding for Northern Ireland and the island as a whole, were there any discussions about greater cooperation among the universities in Dublin, Belfast and those in the Golden Triangle, which include my old alma mater, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and, of course, Imperial College London?

One of our unique points is that we want strong connectedness across our island and between our islands. It is the same when it comes to trade and our universities. We need to have collaboration, and we will all benefit from that.

At the meeting, we welcomed the opportunities that are available because of the association with Horizon Europe. That will bring many benefits. We are keen to boost participation and seize the opportunities that are available through the programme. It is an area that both Economy Ministers on the island will continue to work on.

We see that there were two further appointments to Foras na Gaeilge, but many vacancies remain. Will the First Minister outline the precise timescale for filling all the vacancies on the boards of North/South bodies?

As you said, we were able to make two appointments. We are going through a process that involves all Executive parties that have the ability to nominate. I hope that we can get that done in the immediate future so that we can get those bodies properly populated to get on with doing their work, particularly now that they have been refreshed and everything is up and running again. With the election in the South, there will be some delay in some of the North/South bodies, but it is important that we get back to that as quickly as possible and do our work by making nominations.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement. Will you provide specific details on the discussions in and around business and trade, particularly those on the promotion of balanced regional growth? Was the north-west cross-border city region featured in that balanced growth discussion?

The plenary discussed a wide range of the business and trade opportunities facing the island and the value of continuing to share our knowledge, experience and best practice. I touched earlier on the conversations on universities and student mobility. We talked, in particular, about the north-west, regional balance and our plans around that. We talked about higher education in the north-west, because there have been some really good advancements there, and we want to continue to build on them. The volume of work that is being done between our Economy Ministers on promoting the island as a whole as a great place to invest is something that we should welcome.

We talked about Magee, education in the north-west and the school of medicine. We talked about all the things that we believe are vital to ensuring that everybody sees their fair share of prosperity and that that prosperity is spread across the region.

That concludes questions to the First Minister on the statement. I remind Members that those who are in late for a statement will be called later and that those who are not present for a statement will not be called at all. Members who rise in their place but were not in for the statement will not be called.

Members should take their ease while we change the top Table.

(Mr Deputy Speaker [Dr Aiken] in the Chair)