Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 April 2017
395. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if consideration has been given to the need for new formal structures to be established to facilitate dialogue between the British and Irish Governments post Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16321/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has strong relationships with both the EU and the UK and we firmly intend to maintain both in the new environment which will exist following the UK’s exit. There are numerous channels for Irish-British engagement, some of which were developed in the context of the Good Friday Agreement and some of which were established more recently. All will be used to the full, not least given the UK’s exit from the European Union.
These channels include the British Irish Council (BIC), the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC), the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) and a formal process established in 2012 involving summits between the Taoiseach and the UK Prime Minister, supported by a Joint Work Programme managed at official level by the heads of all government departments in Dublin and London. At political level, there are ongoing and frequent contacts between myself and my ministerial colleagues and our UK counterparts.
The last summit meeting of the British Irish Council was held in Cardiff in November 2016, and the next summit is scheduled to take place in Northern Ireland in June 2017. These summit meetings have been complemented by regular meetings for the specific work sectors.
BIC meetings such as these provide Ireland with valuable opportunities to engage with devolved administrations. We take care in particular to maintain close contacts with the Scottish and Welsh governments, with First Minister Sturgeon visiting Dublin late in 2016 and the Taoiseach meeting with the Welsh First Minister in Cardiff in recent weeks.
Parliamentary links are also vitally important and must continue in earnest given the UK’s exit from the EU. I look forward to addressing the next plenary meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, to be held in Kilkenny in May 2017. BIPA Committees continue to meet regularly to examine areas of shared importance across the BIPA member jurisdictions (Ireland, the UK, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Crown Dependencies), including Brexit, while the regular interaction between other parliamentary committees is to be welcomed and encouraged.
