Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2023
103. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on any recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13497/23]
View answerI am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, in person, by telephone and through the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, which met in Dublin in January.
In our last conversation, on 9 March, we discussed the importance both governments attach to the full functioning of the institutions across the three Strands of the Good Friday Agreement, including and in particular the Assembly and Executive. While the Northern Ireland parties require time to consider the Windsor Framework, it remains my view that this should not delay getting the institutions back up and running in fulfilment of last May’s electoral mandate.
In that conversation I also reiterated the importance of the principles of consent and of parity of esteem, and the enduring need for close cooperation between the two governments on any matters which might touch upon the delicate balances that underpin the Good Friday Agreement.
I also raised the British Government's Legacy Bill, expressing my view that it would be unlikely to be found in compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights and that enactment would damage reconciliation efforts in Northern Ireland. I again noted that the Bill is a unilateral move away from the arrangements agreed in Stormont House, and that Bill that is not supported by political parties, civil society, or victims and their representatives in Northern Ireland. The best way forward would be to pause passage of the Legacy Bill and return to an agreed approach.
I will remain in regular contact with the Secretary of State in the weeks ahead.
