Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 March 2024
137. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline his recent engagement with the British government in relation to the re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive. [5277/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe restoration of the Assembly and Executive is a positive opportunity for a new beginning for politics in Northern Ireland and to address the challenges that the people of Northern Ireland face in their daily lives. I have been clear that the return of Northern Ireland's political institutions, and by extension, the return to full operation of the North South Ministerial Council, was a necessary and overdue step forward.
The absence of functioning political institutions over the past two years has had real and detrimental effects on people's lives. It is a very welcome development that local leadership is now in place to help address the challenges faced, inject momentum into civic life and rebuild a sense of hope for the future.
The Government is in close and ongoing contact with the British government and the Northern Ireland Executive to do everything possible to keep politics in Northern Ireland on a sustainable and stable footing.
As co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, the two governments have a duty to see it operate as effectively as possible across all three strands. A visible partnership approach between the two governments is vital in the period ahead to sustain and assist the current political stability and its knock-on effects on the people of Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement.
In recent discussions with our British counterparts, the Taoiseach and I have underlined the importance of ensuring all strands of the Good Friday Agreement are functioning fully and to the benefit of all. The Taoiseach travelled to Belfast on 5 February and met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. I visited London on 13 December for a bilateral meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, my first meeting with the British Foreign Secretary since his appointment in November 2023. I meet regularly with Secretary of State Heaton-Harris, including during meetings in Dublin of the British-Irish Council on 24 November and the British Irish Inter-Governmental Conference on 28 November. I remain in regular contact with Northern Ireland party leaders.
East-West and North-South Co-operation is essential to achieving the vision of the Good Friday Agreement and to maximising the opportunities facing the island of Ireland. I look forward to an early meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, after more than two years in abeyance.
The revival of regular NSMC meetings will means that this Government and the Executive can continue to have the important conversations necessary to address shared challenges and to generate opportunities for increased practical cooperation. The Government is ready to engage constructively with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive in areas where North-South co-operation makes a positive difference. There remains significant potential for collaboration, including education and research, tourism and driving additional foreign direct investment. North-South cooperation and the all-island economy are important to business and will deliver for the collective benefit of citizens across our shared island.
I also look forward to the next meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, and the next British–Irish Council Summit, which will be hosted by the Isle of Man and is due to take place in June. In the meantime, we look forward to continuing to work with the British government and Northern Ireland Executive on a range of shared issues to the benefit of all citizens.
