§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
How selection took place for the monitoring committees created by the Special European Union Programmes Body of the North/South Ministerial Council, set up under the Belfast Agreement of 1998; and what is its current religious and gender balance. [HL6285]
§ Lord Williams of Mostyn:The Special EU Programmes Body is the managing authority for the PEACE II and INTERREG IIIA programmes. These are joint programmes covering all of Northern Ireland and the Border region of Ireland and the membership of the monitoring committees set up to supervise these programmes is therefore drawn from both jurisdictions. The selection of members for both monitoring committees was made on the basis of nominations sought from the full range of regional and sectoral interests included in the agreed structure for these committees. This structure and final membership was agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive in the North and relevant authorities in the South.
The gender balance of the permanent membership of both monitoring committees is as follows:
Monitoring Committee Female Male Total PEACE II 6 (19%) 25 (81%) 31 INTERREG IIIA 7 (25%) 21 (75%) 28 Information on the community background of members of the PEACE II and INTERREG IIIA monitoring committees is not maintained.
§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Who makes appointments, and on what basis, to the joint steering committee for the EU INTERREG IIIA, administered by the Special European Union Programmes Body, set up after the Belfast Agreement of 1998; and what are the relevant interests in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which are to be included according to the joint communiqué from the North/ South Ministerial Council of 9 October. [HL6286]
§ Lord Williams of Mostyn:Appointments to the INTERREG IIIA steering committee will be made by the Special EU Programmes Body, as managing authority for the programme, following agreement with the INTERREG IIIA monitoring committee. These appointments will be made on the basis of nominations submitted by organisations representing the relevant interests included on the committee. The relevant interests in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which will be included on the committee and which are referred to in the joint communiqué from the North/South Ministerial Council on 9 October are representatives of the four pillars of social partners; local government; Border corridor groups; the CORE group of district councils; equality organisations and environmental 125WA organisations. The table below sets out the proposed membership of the steering committee. The proposed structure for membership of the steering committee
INTERREG IIIA Steering Committee—Draft Structure Title North South Total Comments Per operational programme Chair—SEUPB 1 Finance departments 1 1 2 Per NSMC April 2001 Border corridor groups (chair/member) 3 CORE group 1 1 Local government representatives* 1 1 2 As per monitoring committee Social partners & community & voluntary sector: 1 1 2 Voluntary sector 1 1 2 Agriculture 1 1 2 Trade unions 1 1 2 Business As per monitoring committee Equality organizations 1 As per monitoring committee Environmental organisations 1 TOTAL 19
INTERREG IIIA Steering Committee—Draft Structure Title North South Total Comments Advisers Accountable Departments 5 7 12 Enterprise Ireland 1 Invest Northern Ireland 1 Intertrade Ireland 1 Observers European Commission 1 *To be included on a rotational basis if required by the monitoring committee.