The South-East Regional Authority is regional authorities established in the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1991, (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993. It is one of eight statutory regions of the Republic of Ireland.

Membership of the Authority comprises 36 elected public representatives nominated by the six constituent Local Authorities within the Region: Carlow

Carlow

Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

, Kilkenny

Kilkenny

Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...

, South Tipperary

South Tipperary

South Tipperary is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Munster. It is named after the town of Tipperary and consists of 52% of the land area of the traditional county of Tipperary. The county was established in 1898 and has had a county...

, Waterford City, Waterford County, and Wexford

Wexford

Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...

. The main function of the Regional Authority is:

• to promote co-ordination and, where appropriate, co-operation , joint action , joint arrangements, agreements, communication or consultation between local authorities or other public authorities in the region or between such authorities of other regions.
• to promote co-ordination, consistency and compatibility with programmes, plans policies, proposals or objectives of the Government or any Minister of the Government.

Committees

In carrying out its duties the Authority is assisted by two committees, the Operational Committee and the EU

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 Operational Committee. The Operational Committee’s function is to assist and advise the Authority in the discharge of its functions. Membership is drawn from senior management from Local Authorities and other public service agencies in the region. The EU Operational Committee assists the Authority in matters relating to EU assistance and the monitoring of various EU Operational Programmes applicable in the Region.

Regional Priorities

Despite having a strong base of indigenous industries and a vibrant overseas industry, concentrated mainly in electronics, precision engineering, pharmaceuticals and healthcare and internationally traded services, employment growth in the region has slowed in recent years and existing deficiencies in the region’s infrastructure, in particular, transport infrastructure, are impacting negatively on the regions competitiveness. To help boost the regions economy the following key priorities have been identified:

• the development of third-level facilities and courses within the region and the establishment of a University of the South-East
• improved linkages between industry and third-level educational institutions
• strengthening of the indigenous industrial sector by promoting opportunities for increased levels of Research and Development
• improved road and rail infrastructure
• promotion of the development of the regional airport
• promotion of innovative public transport systems aimed at improving rural mobility
• development of the region’s retail sector and reduce leakage of retail spending to urban centres outside the region
• expansion of the regions tourism
  Tourism
  Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
  
   sector through the development of visitor attractions with a strong national profile linked to the high quality amenities of the region
• support for rural development and the competitiveness of the regions agricultural sector in order to address the ongoing decline in agricultural employment
• support the region’s fishing industry and to develop the potential for marine tourism along the South East’s 434 km (269.7 mi) of coastline.
• development of the regions three major ports, which provide an important opportunity to boost the regions economy.

European Priorities

In the South East Region EU projects have enabled the development of representative and inclusive regional and transnational partnerships and cooperation, inclusiveness and participation of actors in a wide range of sectors. EU projects have promoted coordination between the relevant actors enabling them to work towards the same objectives.


The South East Regional Authority is involved in a wide variety of projects across all sectors and areas and is always interested in getting involved in new and innovative projects. Specific priorities for the future include projects and initiatives which can contribute to addressing the above regional priorities as well as those in the areas of information society, entrepreneurship and employment, and regional innovation.

European Experience

The South East Regional Authority has considerable experience in participating in and managing EU co-funded projects. Some of the EU co-funded projects in which the South East has been involved in the past 3 years include:

• SEEDS - funded under Article 6 ESF (Local employment strategies and innovation) and due to be completed in January 2005. The objective of the project is to develop a coherent, integrated and co-ordinated employment development strategy for the South-East Region. The overall budget for the project is circa €420,000.
• Biologic@ - funded under the INTERREG IIIC. The project commenced in January 2005 and aims to promote best practice in organic farming and to access new channels of distribution for organic produce. The lead partner is based in P?voa de Lanhoso, Portugal and regions from Italy, the Canaries, and Switzerland are also participating in the project.
• FINESTRA - Funded through Article 10 ERDF. The objective was to explore and promote innovative ways of assisting SMEs to maximise their potential to impact on regional socio-economic development. Regions from 6 EU countries participated. The overall budget for the project was circa €3 million.
• E-BYGOV - Funded through Interreg IIIB Atlantic Area. The objective is to examine how modern communications technology can be used to make government services more responsive, easier to use and more accessible to citizens and businesses. Regions in Spain, United Kingdom and Ireland are participating. The overall budget for the project is circa €2.5 million

Other projects include (Research and Technological Development), REVOS (social and voluntary sector) and Sport Urban (sport and urban regeneration).

Members

• Cllr. Des Hurley (LAB)
• Cllr. P.J. Kavanagh (FF)
• Cllr. Tom Kinsella (FG)
• Cllr. Arthur McDonald (FF)
• Cllr. William Paton (LAB)
• Cllr. Tomás Breathnach (LAB)
• Cllr. John Brennan (FG)
• Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick (FF)
• Cllr. Cora Long (FF)
• Cllr. Tom Maher (FG)
• Cllr. Catherine Phelan (FG)
• Cllr. Michael Anglim (FF)
• Cllr. Jack Crowe (FG)
• Cllr. Michael Fitzgerald (FG)
• Cllr. Denis Landy (LAB)
• Cllr. Michael Maguire (FF)
• Cllr. Pat Norris (FF)
• Cllr. Seán Nyhan (FG)
• Cllr. Mary O'Halloran (FG)
• Cllr. Laurence O'Neill (NP)
• Cllr. Mary Roche (NP)
• Cllr. Séamus Ryan (LAB)
• Cllr. David Walsh (WP)
• Cllr. Liam Brazil (FG)
• Cllr. Paudie Coffey (FG)
• Cllr. Damien Geoghegan (FG)
• Cllr. Paddy O'Callaghan (LAB)
• Cllr. James Tobin (FF)
• Cllr. Teresa Wright (LAB)
• Cllr. Lorcan Allen (FF)
• Cllr. Pat Codd (FG)
• Cllr. Seán Connick (FF)
• Cllr. Michael D'Arcy (FG)
• Cllr. Seán Doyle (NP)
• Cllr. Ted Howlin (LAB)
• Cllr. Declan McPartlin (NP)

External links

• South-East Regional Authority