Cross-border Co-operation (Hansard, 21 January 1993)

§ 4. Mr. Canavan
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will arrange to meet representatives of the new Government of the Republic of Ireland to discuss cross-border co-operation.

§ Sir Patrick Mayhew
I look forward to meeting the Tanaiste and Foreign Minister, Mr. Spring, tomorrow.

§ Mr. Canavan
Is not it self-evident that the best form of cross-border co-operation would be to work for the creation of conditions that led to the disappearance of the border? Will the Secretary of State make it absolutely clear that he will restart a meaningful dialogue in that respect, involving all parties interested in a non-violent solution? Will he also make it absolutely clear that if any party or parties should threaten to boycott the talks, meaningful dialogue will nevertheless proceed? I say that because any party unwilling to participate in democratic debate should not have a veto on democratic constitutional change.

§ Sir Patrick Mayhew
The hon. Gentleman knows that I wish talks to take place. I take comfort from the fact that, at the conclusion of the previous talks on 10 November, all parties agreed with the statement of the independent chairman that the objectives were valid and achievable and that it was desirable and necessary that further talks should take place. I am very glad about that.
As to working for the removal of the border, I am afraid that that is a proposition whose simplicity—not to say its quality of being simplistic—has in the past characterised rather too many English ideas for the solution of Irish problems.

§ Mr. Molyneaux
As British subjects have been under fire from the territory of the Republic, will the Secretary of State place at the top of his agenda for his meeting with Mr. Spring the need for greatly increased security co-operation along the frontier—especially at a time when there is much misunderstanding about the removal of certain controls and frontiers elsewhere in Europe?

§ Sir Patrick Mayhew
The right hon. Gentleman refers to the disgraceful incident at Mullan bridge in County Fermanagh a fortnight or so ago. It is right to recall that, on that occasion, there was close co-operation between the Garda Siochana and the Royal Ulster Constabulary and that, shortly after the incident, a man was arrested by the Garda Siochana in connection with it.
There is close co-operation although, of course, it can always be improved. That is one of the matters that I am looking forward to discussing—as we generally do—at the intergovernmental conferences. I agree that there is much misunderstanding about the effect of the Single European Act and the arrival of the single market. That has no bearing on the need for really close security control over crossing points at the border.

§ Dr. Hendron
When the Secretary of State meets Mr. Dick Spring and other members of the Irish Government, will he use those meetings to try to encourage some of the top 500 companies in the Republic to set up in Northern Ireland and, in particular, in deprived areas such as west and north Belfast?

§ Sir Patrick Mayhew
I warmly support all ideas for investment in Northern Ireland. I was very surprised at how little trade to and fro, between north and south, there had been until quite recent years. That situation is improving and I want to encourage it.

§ Mr. Stott
To follow the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, West (Dr. Hendron), the Secretary of State will be aware that the whole of the island of Ireland has category 1 status and that the Republic of Ireland has access to the cohesion fund. Given that the internal market in Europe is now fully operational, what proposals will the Secretary of State be making to the Government of the Republic so that the whole of the island of Ireland can benefit from the new arrangements and not suffer as a consequence of its peripherality to mainland Europe?

§ Sir Patrick Mayhew
Objective 1 status is extremely important and I am very pleased that our representations resulted in that status being retained for Northern Ireland. Although Northern Ireland is peripheral to the mainland of Europe, it none the less represents just as effective a gateway to the common market as any location, for example, in the centre of France or Germany. There is much to be said for co-operation between the Republic and the United Kingdom to ensure that we get the best advantage from our common membership of the European Community. That lies behind a very important part of our policy.