Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“While the public have been told that the DUP are boycotting all North South Ministerial Council meetings except those related to health, the answers to a number of written questions reveal that the scope of the recent NSMC meeting went well beyond health matters.
“As TUV highlighted after the communique following the October meeting was published appointments were made to the Loughs Agency, InterTradeIreland, the Language Body, and Tourism Ireland.
“These appointments are significant as they empower them to operate.
“Now, as confirmed in response to written questions to the Minister of Health, this happened because “the First Minister and deputy First Minister considered the matter under Urgent Procedures process and asked for approval of these appointments be placed as an agenda item at the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021.”
“Thus while our East/West relationships continue to be trashed by the Sea Border the DUP First Minister uses the cover of a North/South meeting about health to keep other North/South bodies manned and operative!
“Such weakness sends entirely the wrong signal to Nationalism, Dublin, London and the EU. Why would anyone take professed danger to the institutions of the Belfast Agreement seriously when the DUP are prepared to facilitate appointments to a North/South body dealing with trade on an all-Ireland basis when our trade with the rest of the UK continues to be disrupted by the Sea Border?”
Note to editors
Mr Allister’s question and Minister Swann’s reply is as follows:
To ask the Minister of Health why appointments to the Board of the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission (Loughs Agency) were discussed at the Health and Food Safety sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021; and how this matter came to be on the agenda.
In accordance with Section 53A (6), a Minister attending a meeting of the NSMC shall act in accordance with any decisions of the Assembly, or Executive (by virtue of section 20) which are relevant to his participation in the Council concerned. The First Minister and deputy First Minister considered the matter under Urgent Procedures process and asked for approval of these appointments be placed as an agenda item at the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021.
To ask the Minister of Health what the appointment of the post of Chairperson of the Board of InterTradeIreland was discussed at the Health and Food Safety sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021; and how this matter came to be on the agenda.
In accordance with Section 53A (6), a Minister attending a meeting of the NSMC shall act in accordance with any decisions of the Assembly, or Executive (by virtue of section 20) which are relevant to his participation in the Council concerned. The First Minister and deputy First Minister considered the matter under Urgent Procedures process and asked for approval of this appointment to be placed as an agenda item at the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021.
To ask the Minister of Health why an appointment to the board of the North South Language Body was discussed at the Health and Food Safety sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021; and how this matter came to be on the agenda.
In accordance with Section 53A (6), a Minister attending a meeting of the NSMC shall act in accordance with any decisions of the Assembly, or Executive (by virtue of section 20) which are relevant to his participation in the Council concerned. The First Minister and deputy First Minister considered the matter under Urgent Procedures process and asked for approval of this appointment to be placed as an agenda item at the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021.
To ask the Minister of Health why an appointment of Directors of Tourism Ireland was discussed at the Health and Food Safety sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021; and how this matter came to be on the agenda.
In accordance with Section 53A (6), a Minister attending a meeting of the NSMC shall act in accordance with any decisions of the Assembly, or Executive (by virtue of section 20) which are relevant to his participation in the Council concerned. The First Minister and deputy First Minister considered the matter under Urgent Procedures process and asked for approval of this appointment to be placed as an agenda item at the North South Ministerial Council on 14 October 2021.