JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT debate -
Tuesday, 28 Jul 2009

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

I welcome Mr. Pat Doherty, MP, and Dr. Alasdair McDonnell, MP, from Northern Ireland and all of our colleagues. I will welcome the Minister and his team later. Apologies have been received from Deputies Conlon, Scanlon, Blaney, O'Dowd and Quinn, Michelle Gildernew, MP, MLA, Mark Durkan, MP, MLA, and Lady Sylvia Hermon, MP.

I ask members and those in the Visitors Gallery to ensure their mobile phones and BlackBerries are switched off as they interfere with the recording equipment, even when switched to silent mode.

The first item is the minutes of the meeting of 25 June which have been circulated. Do any matters arise from them?

Senator Donie Cassidy

I propose the minutes be agreed.

Deputy Johnny Brady

I second that proposal.

Chairman

Is that agreed? Agreed.

The second item is correspondence. A letter dated 29 June 2009 from Mr. Nigel Glenny of the University of Ulster UNESCO centre thanks the Chairman for taking time to speak to students on 29 April. Is it agreed that we note this correspondence? Agreed.

A letter from Senator O'Toole, chairman of the Co-operation Ireland Leinster House Group, to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, expresses the need for the Minister or a Minister of State to report to the Seanad after each meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council. I propose we pass this letter on to the Minister and I reserve the right to have discussions with him on this matter on behalf of the committee. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Item No. 3 is the summer edition of the newsletter of the International Fund for Ireland. The correspondence is noted.

There is a press release from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of 6 July related to the launch of the joint postgraduate certificate in veterinary public health. The correspondence is noted.

The next item relates to the plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council of 6 July. It is a briefing from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin.