asked the Taoiseach if, on completion of the review of the workings of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, he will be seeking a meeting with the British prime minister.
11.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Meeting with British Prime Minister.
10.
asked the Taoiseach if he has any plans to have an Anglo-Irish Summit meeting with the British prime minister.
Plans for any meeting that might be arranged with the British prime minister——
You cannot be heard, Taoiseach. Somebody has turned off your microphone.
Do you want to hear it?
Is it the intention to take Nos. 10 and 11 together?
(Interruptions.)
That is the second time you have had a problem with the Taoiseach, a Cheann Comhairle. He is supposed to ask you.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, it is proposed to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together.
Plans for any meeting that might be arranged with the British prime minister, apart from the normal meetings at the European Councils, would be announced, in accordance with established practice, simultaneously in Dublin and London close to the time of the meeting.
I understand that it is not proposed to have a special meeting between the British Prime Minister and the Taoiseach outside of the European Council meeting?
I do not say that it is not proposed, but at the moment there are no plans for any such meeting.
Is the Taoiseach aware that it is now three years since a Taoiseach formally met the Prime Minister of England and does the Taoiseach not consider it appropriate that at this stage, given that it was originally intended that there would be such a meeting every six months, a meeting should take place now, after two years in office.
As the Deputy knows, the British Prime Minister and I meet once every six months; admittedly it is a meeting in the margins of the European Council——
(Limerick East): Refuelling stops.
If at any time a meeting appears to be advantageous, it will be held.
Would the Taoiseach not agree that any review of a binding and international agreement such as the Anglo-Irish Agreement would be incomplete and unsatisfactory without a full meeting between the two heads of Government involved, even at this level in the review process?
I would not agree with that.
Does the Taoiseach not agree that originally when the idea of six monthly meetings was put forward, it was not intended that they be on the margins of European Parliamentary meetings but that they would be completely separate, and that the very reason that this idea was put forward was that the very holding of these meetings would prevent problems in the following six months and that to get regular meetings with the British Prime Minister and British Government Ministers would be very beneficial for the country?
As the Deputy knows, the primary impetus in this matter is the conference under the Anglo-Irish Agreement.These meetings are held regularly and so far they have been able to accomplish their purposes. There is no real need to go beyond that process for the time being.
In the light of what the Taoiseach has said will he say if the review of the workings of the Anglo-Irish Conference is therefore to be just an administrative review, which will merely produce a joint communique.
That has been discussed in some detail at the last meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference and it will be discussed again at the next meeting which will take place very shortly at Ministerial level.
In preparation for any such meeting with the British Prime Minister would the Taoiseach extend an invitation to the leaders of the Unionist community in Northern Ireland to come to Dublin to talk to him in advance of that meeting?
I did not hear the first part of the Deputy's question.
In preparation for any such meeting with the British Prime Minister, would the Taoiseach extend an invitation to the Unionist leaders in the North of Ireland either to come to Dublin to speak to the Taoiseach privately or will the Taoiseach go to Belfast to speak to them privately? It is important that their input to any further discussions on the Anglo-Irish Agreement is ascertained by the Taoiseach.
That can always be considered.