Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
425. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an itemised list of sections of the Good Friday Agreement; and the status of the implementation or lack thereof of each section. [42055/21]
View answerThe full implementation and effective operation of the Good Friday Agreement and all subsequent agreements is an utmost priority for this Government. The Agreements, as well as the principles and values underpinning them, are at the core of the Government’s commitment to peace, reconciliation and prosperity on this island.
The Good Friday Agreement addressed the constitutional status of Northern Ireland on the basis of the ‘principle of consent’. The Agreement recognised the legitimate aspiration to a United Ireland as well as that for Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom and affirmed the right of self-determination by the people of the island of Ireland, on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South. This was also reflected in changes, by referendum, to the Constitution of Ireland.
The Agreement put in place a framework which is made up of three strands, together representing the relationships that exist within and between the islands of Britain and Ireland. Strand One consists of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive; these institutions are the basis by which political parties in Northern Ireland share power. Strand Two of the agreement saw the North South Ministerial Council established to develop cooperation and action within the island of Ireland, between the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government. Strand Three established the British-Irish Council and British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to promote relations East-West between Ireland and Britain.
The agreement also looks at issues related to Citizenship; Rights, Safeguards and Equality of Opportunity; Decommissioning; Security; Policing and Justice and Prisoners.
The Peace Process has succeeded over the last two decades in moving definitively beyond the violence of the Troubles. However, it is necessarily an ongoing process, requiring the continued active oversight and involvement of the two Governments as co-guarantors. Since the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, it has been necessary to pursue a series of successive further political and legal agreements to consolidate the peace settlement provided for in the GFA and to address crises of political confidence in Northern Ireland.
In 2005, the Independent Decommissioning Body confirmed that IRA decommissioning had taken place. In 2006, the St. Andrew's Agreement was published, which set out a path to full devolution of policing and justice and a stable power-sharing arrangement. In 2010, the signing of the Hillsborough Agreement allowed for the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which then began later that year.
In 2014, the Stormont House Agreement was reached. The Stormont House Agreement envisaged the establishment of a new institutional framework for dealing with the past. Addressing the difficult legacy of the past remains an ongoing challenge at the core of the Peace Process, and as the Deputy will be aware, a process of intense engagement in currently underway with respect to legacy.
Following the collapse of the Executive in 2017, there was a three year absence of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement before the New Decade, New Approach agreement was reached and they were restored to operation. The North South Ministerial Council has begun its vital work again, with two plenaries and a range of sectoral meetings now having taken place. The Government is committed to working in support of the full implementation of the NDNA and our own commitments. We also look forward to enhanced roles for the British Irish Council and British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC), as set out in the Programme for Government. A BIIGC took place on 24 June, with the next meeting planned for later this year. The first NDNA Implementation Review meeting took place on 11 January, and a second is planned in the weeks ahead.
A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland is a central provision of the GFA. An Ad-Hoc Assembly Committee has been established, and the Committee published its research paper on the “Key Issues for a Bill of Rights” in March 2020, and launched a public consultation in May. The Government remains firmly committed to the provision of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
All parties to the GFA recognised the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, which in Northern Ireland includes the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities. There is now a commitment in place from the British Government to legislate to implement the relevant provisions of the NDNA agreement if the Norther Ireland Assembly has not done so by October. Progress has also been made regarding the Government’s commitments supporting the Irish language in Northern Ireland, including the allocation of: €3m as part of the commitment in Budget 2021 for Irish language broadcasting; €1.8m over three years (2020-22) to support the Irish language in Northern Ireland; and an All Island expansion of existing Irish Language Network strategy.
The Government continues to support the establishment of a dedicated structure for civic engagement by the Northern Ireland Executive as set out in the Good Friday Agreement under Strand One. In the NDNA agreement, it was agreed that the Compact Civic Advisory Panel would be reformed to propose the most appropriate model for civic engagement on specific issues.
The Government also continues to support the establishment of the North South Consultative Forum, as provided for under Strand Two of the GFA, and has worked to move the issue forward, submitting proposals to the Northern Ireland Executive for its consideration. We have also raised the issue at successive plenary meetings of the North South Ministerial Council.
