Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
62. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the plans he and the Government have in relation to engagement with the British government to re-establish the Stormont Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37128/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe return of the devolved power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland, and the North South Ministerial Council, continues to be of utmost importance to the Government.
It is clear that the ongoing absence of an Executive and Assembly is having a detrimental effect on people and business in Northern Ireland. People in Northern Ireland deserve to be represented by the politicians that they elected in May 2022.
I am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who I met most recently at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) in London on 19 June 2023, which was also attended by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee. I also met the Secretary of State at the British Irish Council (BIC) on 16 June 2023. Both the BIIGC and the BIC are Strand 3 institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. Furthermore, I also held a lengthy bilateral engagement with the Secretary of State on 16 May 2023 in Dublin. On all occasions, we spoke about the urgent need to restore the Northern Ireland political institutions.
I continue to engage with the Northern Ireland political parties and met with them most recently in June, where I urged members of all parties to take their seats so that the issues facing Northern Ireland can be addressed. I intend to continue to engage with the Northern Irish parties over the summer to support the process of restoring the Executive and Assembly.
The absence of a functioning Executive also has knock-on affects on the operation of Strand Two of the Agreement. I am deeply concerned that the work of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) has been severely disrupted in recent years.
The Government will continue to work closely on a North-South and an East-West basis in support of the devolved power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and the full implementation of all of the Strands of the Good Friday Agreement and as well as subsequent agreements.
