Ireland of Equals Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Sinn Fein MLAs meet with North South Ministerial Council officials

Published: 17 July, 2006

Sinn Fein's assembly team of MLAs and staff recently met with the Joint Secretaries of the North/South (All Ireland) Ministerial Council at Stormont. The meeting was arranged by the party's All Ireland Department, to provide the team with an update of the work of the NSMC, and in particular how it and the various All Ireland bodies set up under the GFA are functioning. At the moment, they are forced to work within the constraints of the current 'care and maintainence' status imposed by the two governments since the suspension of the institutions in 2003.

Sinn Fein All Ireland spokesperson, West Tyrone MLA Barry McElduff, welcomed the very lively and detailed presentation and discussion. "I am particularly glad of commitments given by the Joint Secretaries regarding the issue of 'Obstacles to Cross Border Mobility", he said. "This was a study produced by the NSMC, which listed the practical difficulties experienced by people working and living in the border area. The NSMC delegation revealed that in the autumn they would be releasing an update on how many of these restrictions are being dealt with, to greatly reduced the day-to-day problems which exist for people in that deprived and socially excluded region. The partition of Ireland has caused untold hardship to everyone on this island, and particularly those in the border corridor region. I welcome the NSMC's commitment to work to eliminate many of these", McElduff concluded.