Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

On the Taoiseach's response on the fiscal question, does he agree that the constitutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain lies at the heart of the matter? Ultimately, the fiscal framework that governs Northern Ireland stems from the constitutional framework. The Good Friday Agreement was an advance in terms of sharing, the North-South bodies and the totality of relationships between Ireland and Great Britain and between the North and the South. What has been thrown up is interesting but the context is more fundamental than a mere discussion in this Chamber about who taxes whom and how they tax. It goes to the heart of the subvention from Britain to Northern Ireland, which is substantial, and goes to the heart of the constitutional relationship between North and South. The Good Friday Agreement has a stay on that in terms of if the majority is willing to change that status, the British and Irish Governments would facilitate that. Is that the context the Taoiseach envisages for a discussion of the fiscal framework in Northern Ireland in its constitutional context or is there another context?

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