Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 December 2013
67. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State and Members of the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to the proposal to establish a civic forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54988/13]
View answerI have previously put on the record of the Dáil that I support the establishment of a Civic Forum which would provide for a broad range of voices on community relations and stimulate informed public debate in relation to key societal challenges. On my regular visits to Northern Ireland, I continue the practice of engaging with civil society representatives. In my address to the SDLP Party Conference in Armagh on 8 November, I reaffirmed the commitment of the Government, as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, to realise its full potential, including through the creation of a Consultative Forum. In my ongoing contacts with the Secretary of State I take the opportunity to discuss full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. With the Northern Ireland Executive, including in the context of the North South Ministerial Council, most recently on 8 November, the Government has continued to support the re-establishment of the Civic Forum as a valuable and, as yet, unimplemented provision of the Good Friday Agreement.
I welcome the recent consultations which Richard Haass, Independent Chair of the Panel of Parties, and Meghan O’Sullivan, Independent Vice-Chair of the Panel of Parties, have undertaken with community groups and with representatives of wider civil society in order to ensure that their views and perspectives are considered in the context of the current Talks process.
I hosted a Reconciliation Networking Forum event in Dublin Castle on 30 October 2013 for people who are involved in community, peace-building, public policy or reconciliation work, to discuss what civil society, including the community sector, can and should do to meet the reconciliation challenges ahead. This is in line with the view of the Government that a strong and resilient civic society can play an important role in building a more reconciled and prosperous Northern Ireland.
