Sinn Fein calls for cross-Border bodies for tourism, trade, industrial promotion

Sinn Fein has called for the creation of a powerful North-South ministerial council to include all-Ireland implementation bodies covering areas such as tourism, trade and industrial promotion, European Union issues and the Irish language.

The North-South council must operate on a strategic and operational level and involve "strong ministerial and departmental contact between the two governmental institutions on the island of Ireland" Sinn Fein has argued. In the initial proposals on future North-South arrangements, the party has called for the establishment of seven All-Ireland implementation bodies.

Sinn Fein urges the creation of an all-Ireland investment agency, merging the IDA and the Industrial Development Board (IDB) in the North, as "the IDB and the IDA are competing with each other instead of working together". Harmonisation of the taxation and fiscal regimes would be necessary for this, according to the Sinn Fein paper.

It further proposes an all-Ireland trade promotion and indigenous company development body to look after the smaller firms, "while the IDA-IDB body would remain the big guns".

Sinn Fein suggests the merger of FAS and the Training and Employment Agency in the North, as it "would mean a harmonisation of qualifications throughout the island".

It also called for the all-Ireland operation of the EU agriculture and fisheries policies. The party also calls for an implementation body which would harmonise the approach of the various EU funding programmes applying to the Republic and Northern Ireland.

The party calls for the merger of tourist boards into one body to promote an all-island industry.

"The tourism industry has huge potential for growth, including job creation. Industry experts agree that the promotion and marketing of Ireland on an integrated basis is essential to the realisation of its full potential," the paper states. The party further calls for environmental issues common to both parts of the island to be addressed through a North-South implementation body.

The party proposes the establishment of an all-Ireland body dedicated to the promotion of the Irish language and to safeguarding in law the rights of Irish speakers.

"Given the discrimination practised by the Department of Education in the North against Irish-medium education, this implementation body should have a monitoring and intervention function to ensure parity of esteem for the Irish language."

The paper also sets out areas where a common policy with separate implementation strategies could be established, such as education, transport, community development, health and the arts.

Sinn Fein stresses that for the North-South council, the issue of the Republic's membership of the European Monetary Union while the North remains outside the euro needs to be carefully examined.

Sinn Fein said conformity in the laws of both jurisdictions might be needed for the council to operate effectively.

"An essential prerequisite for the operation of all these bodies is an adherence of principles of equality and equity and that they conduct their business with openness, accountability and transparency" Sinn Fein states in its proposals.