Project Details

Border People

Short Description and Goal

The project “Border People” works to produce and to centralize the relevant legal and practical information, to publish it on its digital documentary portal. It so aims at strengthening the mobility and market of employment in Ireland by guiding its citizens on both sides of the border in their daily initiatives (tax systems, banking activities, schooling, etc.)

Detailed Description

The digital information center “Border People” emanates from joint conclusions by the research of the “Center for Cross Border Studies” as well as by a public study concerning the obstacles to mobility in Ireland. The latter identifies two main obstacles with the cross-border exchanges:
– The absence of precise data concerning cross-border employment, the systems of social and old age insurances and the various services to the inhabitants.
– Lack of simple access to the information on work mobility between the North and the South of the island.

Project goals

  • Facilitate the access to documentary resources and to legal funds of the North and the South of Ireland.
  • Favor trades and contribute to the transparency of market of employment as well as to university mobility.
  • Simplify the daily initiatives of the inhabitants of the border zone.

Target groups – Local Population, border workers

Project activities:

  • Centralization of the relevant information relative to both jurisdictions.
  • Conception and management of an easy digital documentary portal of use
  • Regular updating of the database

Project duration – Since June 2002

Learnings

Although Border People is predominately a signposting information service, the project receives approximately 60 direct enquiries per month, via the website, email and telephone. The majority are usually of a complex nature and the amount of misinformation given to the public by for example local social welfare, health agencies and tax offices is driving a large number of the enquiries.

Examples of misinformation given to individuals by officials:

  • Job seekers in the South having their benefit stopped when they take part time work in the North
  • A cross-border worker being refused access to company pension
  • A cross-border worker being refused social welfare
  • Illness benefit being refused
  • Child Tax Credits stopped due to the family living in the South
  • Cross-border worker being refused adoption benefit due to the adoption being classed as ‘foreign’
  • Conflicting tax information given from tax offices
  • Cross-border worker being denied automatic entitlement to Irish Medical card

One cross border worker stated:

“With the support of the Border People, I successfully appealed an incorrect decision made by the HSE regarding my right to a medical card given the fact I reside in the south but work in the north.”

Initiated by

  • Centre for Cross Border Studies
  • About the North South Ministerial Council

Initiators are

• Public institution

Funded by

• Municipality
• Foundations
• Federal or State Funds

Project Website(s)

Social Media Link(s)

Contact Info

Annmarie O’Kane, Border People Manager,

Project Topics

Environment, Climate & Energy, Public Services & Administration

Level / Project Complexity /

Small

Participating Cities

  • Belfast
  • Dublin

Sizes of Participating Cities

• 5.000 - 20.000
• 20.000 - 100.000
• 100.000 - 500.000

Participating Countries

  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom

Project Region(s)

• Europe

Media Credits

NO FEE Press Eye Ltd 20th May 2011 Photography by Stephen Hamilton / presseye.com Pictured l-r are: Kirsty McManus, Project Manager, IBEC-CBI Joint Business Council, Brian Morgan, Partner and Solicitor, Morgan McManus Solicitors at the launch of ‘Developing Cross-Border Business’ a free conference offering free professional advice for businesses already trading and looking to trade cross-border.