asked Her Majesty's Government:

Regarding the North-South Implementation Body for European Union Programmes in Northern Ireland, established by the United Kingdom and the Government of Ireland, whether the exchange of letters between the two Governments of 25 July 2006 concerning the functions of the implementation body has governed the actions of that body since that date. [HL4213]

The exchange of letters of 25 July 2006 concerned the interpretation of the term “community initiatives” in the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. The exchange confirmed the understanding of the British and Irish Governments that it was the intention of the two Governments that the term “community initiatives” would include any successors to, equivalents of, or substitutes for such initiatives.

The exchange of letters was intended to secure the ability of the Special EU Programmes Body to continue carrying out its existing functions as set out in the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, unaffected by the change in EU terminology relating to that funding stream for the 2007 to 2013 funding period.