An all-Ireland helicopter service was one of the proposals discussed at a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in Belfast yesterday.
The meeting, which was mainly concerned with food safety, was the first to take place since the reinstatement of Mr David Trimble as First Minister and the election of Mr Mark Durkan as Deputy First Minister.
It was also the first such meeting to take place since Mr Trimble dropped the ban on Sinn FΘin ministers' attendance at the meetings, which was introduced in November 2001.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, and his Northern counterpart, Ms Bairbre de Br·n of Sinn FΘin, were joined by Minister of State Dr Tom Moffatt and the UUP junior minister Mr Dermot Nesbitt.
Mr Martin said the meeting had also discussed broader issues of health co-operation and had agreed to jointly commission consultants to look into an all-Ireland helicopter emergency service. The meeting agreed to the establishment of a new sub-office of the cross-Border Food Safety Protection Board in Dublin as well as agreeing detailed staffing proposals.
The ministers also agreed to the establishment of a 16-strong advisory committee made up of scientists and representatives of broader food safety interests.