asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh in Dublin. [23486/98]
Ceisteanna—Questions. - Royal Visits to Ireland.
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:8 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with Prince Philip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23685/98]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:9 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach if the possibility of a visit by Queen Elizabeth II was raised during his discussions with Prince Philip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23686/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 8 and 9 together.
The Duke of Edinburgh in his capacity as patron of the Duke of Edinburgh Award visited Dublin on 10 November 1998 to launch the Millennium Gold Encounter with President McAleese, as patron of our equivalent awards scheme, Gaisce — the President's Award. The Millennium Gold Encounter will be jointly hosted next year, both North and South, by the Duke of Edinburgh Award in Northern Ireland and Gaisce, the President's Award, in association with the international council for awards worldwide.
During his visit the Duke of Edinburgh paid a courtesy call on me at Government Buildings which lasted for about 30 minutes. In the course of our conversation we touched upon a number of topics including the importance of the awards schemes and their value to young people. The question of a visit by Queen Elizabeth II did not arise at any time in the course of our conversation.
Is the Government indifferent to the possibility of such a visit or is the Taoiseach asking the House to believe the possibility of such a visit was not mentioned in his briefing notes for the visit and that journalists and the public have been totally misled? This was the first visit by the husband of the Queen of England. Was it not seen as a so-called dry run for a visit by Queen Elizabeth?
I cannot place a visit in a particular context. I know why the Duke of Edinburgh was here. It was to launch the new awards. His visit to me was a courtesy call as distinct from an official meeting. I discussed a number of issues with him including the main reason for his visit, the fact that this was not his first visit here which I thought it was, Government Buildings and the fact that it was designed by the architect who designed Buckingham Palace and other matters.
We had no discussion about any possible visit by the Queen of England. I have said several times that the implementation of the British-Irish Agreement is the priority focus for both Governments at this time. There are no proposals at present for such a visit and the matter will be kept under review in the light of developments in connection with the Agreement.
Are we to believe that the briefing notes prepared by his Department for the 30 minute courtesy visit contained no reference to a possible visit by Queen Elizabeth II?
As far as I recall the only briefing note I was given consisted of a biography of the Duke of Edinburgh and the history of Government Buildings.
Has the Taoiseach considered the possibility that the Gaisce Award and its British equivalent, the Duke of Edinburgh Award might be extended Europe-wide and given to young people who undertake important endeavours throughout the EU as a means not only of rewarding endeavour but also of bringing young people of different cultures throughout the EU together in competitive and co-operative endeavour?
That matter was raised by the Duke of Edinburgh with me. Worldwide, 60 countries take part in the National Challenge Award for young people between the ages of 15 and 25. The Duke of Edinburgh Award and Gaisce, the President's Award, are included in that award. An international council protects the standards of various national awards. The Duke of Edinburgh has been active in that and is, I think, a former chairman of it. The Millennium Gold Encounter is an event for gold awardees and is held every three years.
: Would the Treaty of Amsterdam and perhaps the Treaty of Maastricht not facilitate the European Union in running a speciifically European Union award of this kind? Would the Taoiseach consider this an appropriate matter for informal discussion with his colleagues in the European Union? We do so many other things together and such an enterprise would build cohesion among young people in the European Union.
I will look at that. It would be a good idea.