Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 July 2018
46. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken to or met the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recently; the position regarding reconvening the Northern Ireland Assembly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28657/18]
View answerOver the course of many months, the Irish and British Governments, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, have worked tirelessly to support and facilitate the parties in their efforts to form an Executive.
The devolved, power-sharing institutions are at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement and are the best means for achieving accountable, representative decision-making for all the people of Northern Ireland.
Unfortunately, to date, it has not proved possible to reach an agreement on the formation of an Executive, despite intensive engagement. In light of this, the Government has been working with the British Government to consider means by which we can support the political process, in accordance with the Agreement, in the period ahead.
I am in very regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, as we seek a way beyond the current impasse. We met most recently in Cork on 11 June and will meet again in London on 4 July.
The Secretary of State and I have each conducted contacts with the Northern Ireland political parties to hear their views on how, at this stage, the two Governments can support the political process, in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement.
All parties have re-affirmed their commitment to operating the devolved institutions and provided views on their key concerns and issues to be addressed in seeking a way forward.
In light of this, the Secretary of State and I are considering how best the two Governments, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, can chart a way forward that will give the best prospects for getting the devolved institutions operating again without delay.
A meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference will take place on 25 July. The Government looks forward to this meeting of the Conference in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement. Both Governments as co-guarantors of the Agreement are fully committed to working together to achieve the earliest operation of the devolved institutions, and to working together for the mutual benefit of all of the peoples of these islands.
The Good Friday Agreement is the indispensable framework for providing stable, inclusive, power-sharing government for all the people of Northern Ireland and for sustaining our interlocking relationships – within Northern Ireland, on the island of Ireland, and between the UK and Ireland.
