The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern TD, First Minister,Rt Hon Dr Ian Paisley MP MLA and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP MLA launched a new website for those wishing to move across the border to live work or study www.borderpeople.info.

The new website was launched to provide information for people wishing to move across the border to live, work or study.

In January 2007 the NSMC Joint Secretariat, on behalf of the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) , awarded a contract to the Centre for Cross Border Studies (CCBS) to develop a Cross-border Mobility website as a central access point for all cross-border mobility information on the island of Ireland.

Over a two-year period CCBS will manage and centrally co-ordinate the software development and content of the cross-border mobility information website.

The website is structured around the four concepts or themes of:

• Commute
• Work
• Live
• Study

and includes information on public sector issues such as taxation, social security and job seeking, health and education as well as private sector issues such as banking, housing and telecommunications.

The site was referred to in the NSMC Institutional Joint Communiqué 30 October 2007 stating

‘The Council launched the Cross-Border Mobility Website which provides a central access point for information on a range of issues for people who wish to move across the border to live, work and study.  The Council requested the Secretariat to keep the website’s operation, development, marketing and management under review and to examine options for its future funding, including possible EU funding, and report back to a future NSMC meeting.’

The website is a tangible and practical example of the two Governments working together for the benefit of citizens.