Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
58. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of the strategic review with the UK mentioned in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18528/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra64. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide details of the strategy to maintain and expand the special relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom in the post-Brexit relationship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18113/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 64 together.
Though the United Kingdom has now left the EU, the relationship between Ireland and the UK will remain a vital one between close neighbours, trading partners, and co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. Our bilateral trade with Britain, worth over 1 billion Euro per week, as well as our significant people-to-people links, ensure that close co-operation remains firmly in the interest of our respective citizens after the Transition Period ends at the end of 2020.
The Taoiseach discussed the importance of that mutual co-operation in his recent call with Prime Minister Johnson. I have similarly set out our intention and ambition to work with the UK across all areas of mutual interest to my counterpart, Foreign Secretary Raab, in recent weeks. Many other Ministers have had positive contacts with their counterparts in London, and those in the devolved administrations, since the Government took office. I believe that these positive early contacts demonstrate a shared commitment to work together in a pragmatic spirit over the coming years.
Ireland regrets the UK’s decision to leave the EU, although we respect it; and though we will no longer meet in Brussels, we have committed in the Programme for Government to finding new ways to engage with our UK counterparts at political as well as official levels.
This may include developing structures for regular meetings at Heads of Government, Ministerial, as well as senior official levels. An important part of these efforts will be enhancing the role of the valuable institutions established under the Good Friday Agreement that already facilitate structured east-west co-operation: the British-Irish Council and British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.
Working through these institutions, as well as regular bilateral engagements between the Irish and British Governments across all sectors, will help to ensure that our interests are protected and advanced. The continued effective operation of the Common Travel Area, and the safeguarding of reciprocal rights in social protection, education, and healthcare, is vital of course in underpinning this close and distinct relationship.
East-west relations are of course broader than those between Dublin and London alone. My Government colleagues and I will also seek to strengthen our relationships with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales over the next five years. Promising work is already ongoing in this area, led by Ireland's Consulates General in Edinburgh and Cardiff, and with regular contact at Ministerial level.
I recognise additionally, that there is a need to increase our engagement at a regional level. To that end, the Government has committed to opening a new Consulate in the north of England. It is envisaged that the new Consulate will cover the entire north of England, including major population centres such as Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield. This would broadly match the area known as the 'Northern Powerhouse,' an area with a population of about 15 million people and close historical and current links with Ireland and our diaspora.
The Programme for Government also includes a commitment to carry out a comprehensive review of British-Irish relations in 2020/21. As the future shape of the relationship between the UK and the EU is being settled in the coming months, I believe it is timely and appropriate to thoroughly evaluate how Ireland can work most effectively with our nearest neighbour into the future. This strategic review will seek to establish how we can best adapt to this new context in which the UK is outside of the EU while we remain at its heart, and will set a high level of ambition for every aspect of the bilateral relationship for the coming years.
