Vol. 397 No. 3
3 Proinsias De Rossa and Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the purpose of his recent meeting in Dublin with representatives of the SDLP; if any new initiatives or developments are expected as a result of these talks; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Meetings take place periodically between the Government and the SDLP as part of an ongoing process of consultation, which both sides consider important and useful. The most recent such meeting was on 8 March in Dublin; the discussion on that occasion covered a range of issues of mutual interest, including the current political situation in Northern Ireland, confidence issues and the development of cross-Border economic co-operation.
Will the Taoiseach outline any proposals that might have been put to him, or any proposals he made to the SDLP with regard to having talks develop in Northern Ireland?
No, it was not that kind of meeting. Neither side was putting forward any particular proposals.
Will the Taoiseach indicate if he encouraged the SDLP to engage in talks in Northern Ireland with a view to establishing a form of devolved government in Northern Ireland?
No, it would not be for me to do that.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach if the SDLP outlined to him any conditions which they felt were necessary before talks could take place.
No again. I do not think that would necessarily be part of our discussions. On these occasions we have a general, comprehensive all round type of discussion on current events and an exchange of views on different issues. That is the form these meetings take.
Question No. 4 is postponed. We come now to deal with questions nominated for priority. There are five questions nominated for priority on the Order Paper and under Standing Orders they must be disposed of within 15 minutes. I seek the co-operation of all concerned towards that end.
