Wednesday, 11 Jul 2018

Written Answers Nos. 26-60

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (29, 32, 33, 34)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

29. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with Ms Christine Lagarde on 26 June 2018; the persons that attended; and the issues that were discussed. [28779/18]

Richard Boyd Barrett

Ceist:

32. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with Ms Christine Lagarde. [29096/18]

Mary Lou McDonald

Ceist:

33. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent engagement with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Ms Christine Lagarde. [30411/18]

Eamon Ryan

Ceist:

34. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with Ms Christine Lagarde. [30600/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 32 to 34, inclusive, together.

I had a very positive tête-à-tête meeting with Ms Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director, in Government Buildings on 25 June. I also hosted a dinner to mark her visit to Ireland on the evening of 26 June.

Our exchanges covered the economic outlook, international trade, and gender equality issues.

On the economic outlook, we discussed the latest IMF Article IV assessment of the Irish economy.

We agreed that the economy is enjoying a period of strong growth and increasing employment, but that we must proceed carefully to share the benefits with everyone and throughout the country, while guarding against the type of policies that have resulted in the boom-bust of the past.

On trade, we discussed the risks posed by growing international tensions. I welcomed Ms Lagarde's strong and vocal advocacy for preserving and deepening the rules-based multilateral trading system, which is of course crucially important to our own highly open economy. We agreed that in a trade war, there are no winners.

Ms Lagarde also informed me about the work she is doing to advance gender equality, including in placing it at the centre of the IMF’s work. I offered her my strong support in this.

I also took the opportunity to highlight some recent Government initiatives in this area, including the recently published Gender Pay Gap (Wage Transparency) Bill and a business-led group being established to increase female representation on corporate boards which will be launched shortly.

Questions Nos. 30 and 31 resubmitted.

Questions Nos. 32 to 34, inclusive, answered with Question No. 29.

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (35, 36)

Ruth Coppinger

Ceist:

35. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meetings with the British Prime Minister or British officials on matters related to Northern Ireland. [28835/18]

Michael Moynihan

Ceist:

36. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Taoiseach if he has spoken to the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, recently or at European Council bilateral meetings on reconvening the Northern Ireland Assembly. [30456/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 36 together.

I had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister May on the margins of the EU Council in Brussels on June 28.

We discussed the current political situation in Northern Ireland where I emphasised my Government’s full commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and we re-affirmed the determination of both Governments to secure the effective operation of all its institutions.

In line with this, we agreed that a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference will take place in London on 25 July in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement and which will be co-chaired by the Tánaiste and Minister David Lidington.

We also discussed Brexit and I told Prime Minister May very clearly that there is not much time left if we are to conclude a Withdrawal Agreement and have it operational by the time the UK leaves.

The UK gave clear commitments and guarantees in December and again in March in relation to the border on the island of Ireland, and we need to see detailed, workable proposals from them to deliver on these commitments.

I told the Prime Minister that the EU27 agreed that, if we don’t get agreement on a backstop or on the other outstanding elements, it won’t be possible to finalise the Withdrawal Agreement as whole, including the transition arrangements.

I have always said that I hope the future relationship between the EU and the UK will be as close and comprehensive as possible, and that it will remove any need for a hard border.

But it will not, in any way, remove the need for a legally robust backstop to apply unless and until better arrangements enter into force, ensuring that there will never be a hard border on this island, whatever circumstances prevail.

While I am hopeful that we will achieve a very close, comprehensive and ambitious future relationship with the UK, the government is of course continuing to plan for the full range of scenarios.

I also spoke with Prime Minister May by phone on Saturday afternoon when she briefed me on the outcome of her Chequers Cabinet meeting on Friday.

I welcomed the fact that the UK Government had reached a position where it would put forward detailed proposals for the future EU-UK relationship post-Brexit.

I look forward to seeing greater detail on those proposals over the coming days and hope that they would be a helpful input to the negotiation process.

I explained my hope that the UK Government would engage constructively with the Barnier Task Force and the other Member States over the coming weeks.

I also made clear that the Government was open to proposals which meet our aims of avoiding a hard border and maintaining free trade with the UK, while respecting the EU single market and customs union.

The Prime Minister and I agreed that we, and our offices, would maintain close contact in the period ahead.

Questions Nos. 37 to 41, inclusive, resubmitted.

British-Irish Council

Ceisteanna (42)

Eamon Ryan

Ceist:

42. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meetings at the British-Irish Council. [30599/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I attended the 30th British Irish Council (BIC) Summit in Guernsey on Friday 22 June, hosted by Chief Minister Gavin St. Pier. I was accompanied by Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy TD.

The discussion at the summit covered key political developments for Administrations since the last summit in November. The discussion focused largely on the implications of Brexit, particularly for relationships across the islands. The Council also discussed the current political situation in Northern Ireland and I reiterated my regret that Northern Ireland, until the Executive is restored, remains without political representation in this important forum.

The Council also endorsed plans for a future programme of work proposed by the Environment Ministers and agreed to a new area of work on social enterprises.

Minister Murphy took part in a thematic discussion on the issues that collectively impact the marine environment of these islands.

David Lidington MP, Cabinet Office Minister, and Karen Bradley MP, SOSNI, attended the summit meeting along with Heads of Administration from Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands. I took the opportunity to have bilateral discussions with First Minister Carwyn Jones and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon; in both meetings we exchanged views on issues of mutual interest and continued co-operation with discussions focusing mainly on Brexit and its impacts on business and citizens and on developments in Westminster and Brussels.

I also held brief discussions with David Lidington and Karen Bradley on Brexit and on the absence of an agreement between the parties on re-establishing the Northern Ireland Executive. I underlined the importance of the restoration of the institutions in the context of full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, and undertook to continue to work with the British government to support the northern parties to achieve this outcome.

Cabinet Committee Meetings

Ceisteanna (43)

Michael Moynihan

Ceist:

43. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when Cabinet committee E (health) last met; and the number of times it has met since January 2018. [29045/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

Cabinet Committee E last met on 11 April 2018. The Committee has met once since January 2018

Questions Nos. 44 to 49, inclusive, resubmitted.

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (50, 51, 52, 55)

Michael Moynihan

Ceist:

50. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the meetings he attended in New York; and the issues that were discussed. [30454/18]

Michael Moynihan

Ceist:

51. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Taoiseach if he discussed the undocumented Irish at his meetings while in New York recently. [30455/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

52. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the issues he discussed with persons (details supplied) when he met them in New York. [30534/18]

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

55. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the way in which the group that attended the private lunch in New York were selected and on whose recommendations; the purpose of the lunch; and the issues that were discussed. [30708/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 51, 52 and 55 together.

I travelled to New York on Sunday 1 July to take part in a series of events marking the launch of Ireland’s election campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 term.

I was joined at a number of these events by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, Minister of State Kehoe, Minister of State Cannon, and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Mark Mellett.

I was accompanied by a small delegation from my Department which included my Chief of Staff, an Assistant Secretary General, the Assistant Government Press Secretary, my Private Secretary, and a Security Officer from An Garda Síochána.

Since joining the UN in 1955, Ireland has made a sustained contribution to the international community’s efforts to tackle important global challenges like peace and security, human rights, international development, climate change and sustainable development.

We have always sought to be an active and fair member of the international community and we have a responsibility to actively engage with the UN.

Ireland’s candidature for the UN Security Council will deepen our UN engagement. It is central to our international agenda and underpinned by our strategy to double the scope and impact of Ireland’s global footprint by 2025.

The Government is committed to conducting a vigorous campaign over the next two years, before the election in June 2020. This will involve intensive engagement with all Member States at UNHQ in New York and in their capitals, to convince them of Ireland’s value as a candidate and what we bring to the UN.

The campaign will be premised on three key themes: Empathy, Partnership and Independence, and will be led in the first instance by Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Geraldine Byrne Nason.

On Sunday evening, as part of their support for Ireland’s campaign, U2 hosted international diplomats based at the UN at their concert in Madison Square Garden. The Irish Government delegation was also in attendance.

On Monday morning, I participated in a ceremony to pay tribute to the 88 members of the Defence Forces who have lost their lives over 60 years of Ireland’s participation on UN peacekeeping operations.

Later that day, I also met with a group of UN African Permanent Representatives to discuss the Ireland-Africa relationship and the need to work together on building greater peace and stability on the continent and developing more economic opportunities.

The official launch event took place on the North Lawn of UN Headquarters on Monday evening. The Tánaiste and I were joined by former President Mary Robinson and U2’s Bono for the event which was attended by over 400 UN diplomats and was a wonderful celebration of Irish food, music, heritage and culture.

I had the opportunity, in advance of the launch event, to discuss a number of important global challenges on the UN Agenda with former President Robinson and Bono. This included migration, gender, peace and security and climate change.

While in New York I also participated in a number of other events.

I attended a networking lunch hosted by Ireland’s Consul General in New York with some young Irish people working in the city who are contacts of the Consulate. In extending invitations, the Consulate sought to ensure representation of young Irish and Irish-Americans from a diverse range of sectors, including media, finance, tech and the arts, as well as gender balance.

Before returning home on Tuesday, I visited the New York Stock Exchange where I attended a breakfast meeting with a group of business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs supported by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland and had the opportunity to ring the opening bell.

Given the UN focus of my programme, I did not have the opportunity to discuss the undocumented Irish at any of my meetings.

In relation to foreign visits from July to December, the next European Council is scheduled for 18 October in Brussels, with the Asia Europe Meeting, ASEM, scheduled to take place immediately thereafter on 19 October.

The Austrian Presidency of the European Union also intends to organise an informal summit for Leaders on 20 September in Salzburg.

The final European Council of this year will take place on 13 and 14 December.

Other visits are being planned and will of course be announced once they are confirmed.

Questions Nos. 53 and 54 resubmitted.

Question No. 55 answered with Question No. 50.

Cabinet Committee Meetings

Ceisteanna (56)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

56. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach when Cabinet committee F (national security) last met; and the number of times it has met to date in 2018. [29353/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

The Committee has met once this year on 8 February last. The meeting was attended by Ministers and Senior Officials from the Department of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform; Foreign Affairs and Trade; Justice and Equality; Health; Communications, Climate Action and Environment; Transport, Tourism and Sport; Housing, Planning and Local Government; and Defence.

Arrangements are being made for the next meeting of Cabinet Committee F but a date is not yet finalised.

The role of Cabinet Committee F is "to keep the State's systems for the analysis of, preparation for, and response to, threats to national security under review and to provide high-level coordination between relevant Departments and agencies on related matters".

Questions Nos. 57 to 59, inclusive, resubmitted.

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Ceisteanna (60)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

60. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he has met with or spoken to the Chancellor of Austria; and if so, the issues they discussed. [30933/18]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

I met with the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, in Dublin Castle on Sunday 8 July.

The Chancellor’s visit to Ireland took place as Austria begins its six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It followed my own visit to Vienna in February.

Topics discussed during our meeting included Brexit, migration, trade, the digital agenda, and the EU's budget post 2020 - these issues will feature on the EU's agenda during the Austrian Presidency.

While we meet regularly in Brussels at the European Council, this was a very useful opportunity for more in-depth discussion in particular in the context of Austria's EU Presidency role.

We also acknowledged the excellent bilateral relations between our two countries. Ireland and Austria are close partners within the EU. We share much in common, as open, pro-enterprise economies, who see the EU as a promoter of growth, open markets, employment, and a high level of social protection.

We also cooperate closely on international issues, including at the United Nations, and I highlighted Ireland's candidature for an elected seat at the security council for the term 2021 - 22.

Following the meeting, I hosted a dinner for the Chancellor in the State Apartments, Dublin Castle.

On Monday 9 July the Chancellor visited the border accompanied by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.