Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 9: To ask the Taoiseach if he has had any meetings recently to discuss ongoing implementation of the Good Friday Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39757/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 10: To ask the Taoiseach his plans to meet with the British Prime Minister David Cameron. [1910/12]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 11: To ask the Taoiseach the contacts he has with British Prime Minister David Cameron since the EU summit on 9 December 2011. [1911/12]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 12: To ask the Taoiseach the way the Government proposes to intensify its relations with the British Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1914/12]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 13: To ask the Taoiseach if he had a bilateral with Prime Minister Cameron on the margins of the EU meeting on 9 December and if so the matters that were discussed; if he plans to have one in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1915/12]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 13, inclusive, together.

At the European Council meeting on 9 December I did not have a formal bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron although I did of course see him. Subsequently I phoned him to say how disappointed I was that it had not proved possible to get the agreement of the 27 member states.

Last Thursday I travelled to London to meet the Prime Minister in Downing Street. My visit to London also included making an address at Reuters and attending a number of business and Irish community related events. I had a very good meeting with the Prime Minister in which we discussed recent developments at European level. We agreed on the need to do everything necessary to move beyond the current crisis and to restore stability and confidence in the eurozone. Looking ahead to the next European Council meeting on 30 January, we both agreed on the importance of putting growth and jobs at the top of the EU agenda and on the need for a fully functioning Single Market. We look forward to keeping closely in touch on this matter.

We also discussed the excellent bilateral relationship that exists between Ireland and Britain and the strong ties and interdependence between our respective economies. Recalling the success of the visit to Ireland of Queen Elizabeth and how it highlighted the depth and normality of the relationship between our two countries, we agreed to explore opportunities for further deepening those relations, especially on the trade side, and to maintain close contact on all issues of mutual interest.

As the co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement we took stock of recent developments in Northern Ireland and noted the decade of significant historical events which are about to begin. With regard to the ongoing implementation of the Good Friday Agreement the most recent meeting I had was the plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council on 18 November in Armagh. At that meeting, which was co-chaired by the First and Deputy First Ministers, we discussed a wide range of shared issues, including the progress to date on the St. Andrew's review. It was agreed that proposals to advance the review would be taken at the next plenary meeting in June 2012, which I will chair. We also discussed ways to make progress on the North-South consultative forum, as well as welcoming the progress made by the Oireachtas and the Northern Ireland Assembly towards a North-South parliamentary forum. The programme of work of the North-South Ministerial Council continues and Ministers approved a comprehensive schedule of meetings including an institutional meeting in Spring 2012, as well as the next plenary meeting on 15 June 2012.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I object to the way these questions have been grouped. Linking questions about the European Union summit with a question on the Good Friday Agreement is unacceptable and it stops us from asking questions in a proper way. With the Ceann Comhairle's permission, I will begin by asking questions on the summit and ask a supplementary question on the Good Friday Agreement.

The Taoiseach indicated that he did not meet the British Prime Minister at or in advance of the summit. There was no specific meeting on the margins. That is extraordinary.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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For clarity, I stated that I did not have a formal bilateral meeting with him.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is extraordinary given the enormity of the issues that were before that summit. There is no point in crying over spilled milk.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Hang on a second.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I just want to ask the question.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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All right. I will answer the Deputy then.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The point I am making is that the UK was outside that treaty. It was a serious and profound moment for the future of the European Union. The comments of President Sarkozy afterwards were clear in this regard. He saw this as a new departure for Europe, without Britain. Those were the comments he made.

What context was there before the incredibly damaging outcome of the summit? Did the Taoiseach meet the Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, at all to try to understand what he was asking for, or did he just accept the President Sarkozy line and his claims about what the UK was looking for? Did he take any steps to prevent the breakdown involving our most important neighbour and trading partner within the European Union? These are important issues. I would have thought, given the serious issues of our trading relationship and closeness with the UK, that we would have done everything possible to avoid a split that night. Now it seems we did not even meet in a formal way with the British in advance to try to understand their issues and work with them in preventing a split.

I assume the latest text of the treaty was discussed between the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister at their recent meeting. The text does not include any of the broader proposals from the summit, it seems to be focused on the new fiscal measures for the eurozone. The Taoiseach says he had encouraged the British Government to sign up to the treaty. Can he confirm that he indicated to the British Government that he did not believe the treaty would necessitate a referendum? Did he have a discussion about that with the British Prime Minister in their recent meeting?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I attended a meeting of the European People's Party, EPP, in Marseilles before the meeting of the Council in Brussels. I travelled by commercial aircraft because the function in Marseilles was not a Government one. Arriving in Brussels, I went straight from the airport to the meeting at half past eight and left it at 5.30 a.m. There were no bilateral meetings between any parties. This was a particular kind of meeting, as the Deputy is well aware. I sat beside the Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, and had numerous discussions with him during the course of the meeting. For the Deputy's information, when the break occurred between the views of the eurozone countries and that of the Prime Minister, I suggested there should be a political discussion about the difference of opinion with regard to the involvement of all 27 countries rather than the eurozone 17, but that, clearly, did not prove possible. I did not say that I would encourage the Prime Minister to sign up to the treaty. What I did say was that it was critical that the UK remain a central part of the EU. The EU needs Britain and Britain needs the EU.

When spoke to the Prime Minister in Downing Street I made a point to demonstrate the strength of the triangular connections between Ireland and the UK from a trading perspective. If, for example, there was a drop of 0.5% in our exports to Britain, it would more or less wipe out all the gains we have made in the BRIC countries. The Prime Minister shares this view. I also made the point, which the Deputy will accept, that one thing that has been lost in all the inter-institutional wrangling is the solution to the overall problem, which is the potential of the Single Market to cause growth in economies. We agreed in Downing Street that we would make proposals from both countries to our colleagues in Europe and to the Commission that the legislative and decision-making process in Europe should be viewed from a growth perspective at every stage. In other words, what comes through in Europe should have at its core demonstrable potential for growth in all the economies. This is of critical importance to us as an exporting nation. We agreed on that. As I said, I did not have a formal bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister in Brussels because of the reasons I outlined but I spoke to him frequently during the course of the meeting.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Sular bhuail an Taoiseach le David Cameron, chuir mé cúpla ceisteanna chuige agus dúirt sé liom go gcuirfeadh sé na ceisteanna sin, ceisteanna faoi Pat Finucane agus na pléascáin i mBaile Átha Cliath agus Muineachán agus na daoine a dhúnmharaigh na paras i mBaile uí Mhurchú. We need to remind ourselves that in October the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, speaking in Westminster, acknowledged that British state agencies had colluded in the killing of Pat Finucane. That is an important admission from the British Government. It then went on to refuse to honour an intergovernmental agreement with the Irish Government made at Weston Park in 2001. This is outrageous and is part of the spin-off to the meeting we are discussing. I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach has raised this on a number of occasions.

Part of the spin about the meeting was that there was a difference of opinion. It is more than a difference of opinion, it is a breach of a crucial agreement between two Governments. I am seeking some indication from the Taoiseach that the Government will relentlessly press the British Government on this issue. Is he interested in the fact that it has admitted collusion? What was the degree of collusion and what part did the state play? What agencies were involved? How far down did it go and how far up did it go? Similarly, did the Taoiseach raise the issue of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, as he has committed to do, and the Ballymurphy killings by the paratroopers?

The Taoiseach made it clear that he would not agree with the proposed financial transaction tax. Did he discuss this with Mr. Cameron? Did they jointly agree to oppose this new tax, and have they conveyed this to the European Council or the Commission? Could he outline what other discussions they may have had about fiscal matters?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I made it clear that we could not have a financial transaction tax that was applicable within the eurozone, which would affect us here in Dublin, but not applicable in the City of London. The Prime Minister has been clear about this himself. He says that if a transaction tax of this nature is introduced, it should be by agreement with all the countries and applicable in a global sense. As the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Clegg, pointed out, the authors of the report on the financial transaction tax said that it could drive 500,000 jobs out of the European Union. It is in order for the French President to introduce a financial transaction tax in France if he so wishes. I merely pointed out our position on this.

With regard to the legacy issues, I did raise the issues of Ballymurphy, the murder of Pat Finucane and the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, as I indicated to the Deputy during Question Time already. I do not recognise any hierarchy of victims. I was around long enough to read and hear about so many murders and deaths on all sides during a 30-year period. Families in so many areas were deprived of loved ones and kith and kin. When I was at the North-South Ministerial Council in Armagh, the point was made to me that this State should apologise for murders committed by or associated with the IRA. I said that the IRA, in that form and during that period, was the enemy of the Irish State and that members of the Garda and the Defence Forces as well as civilians had lost their lives as a consequence of that reign of terror.

With regard to the unfortunate and tragic death of Pat Finucane, I have made clear already that this is more than a difference of opinion. We had a unanimous decision of this House, on all sides and in all parties, that there should be a public inquiry into the case. That arose, as the Deputy is aware, from the Weston Park agreement, in which it was agreed by both Governments that there would be a public inquiry if this was recommended by Judge Cory. The judge made a recommendation with regard to another incident that took place in this jurisdiction, and this State responded by setting up the Smithwick tribunal, which is wending its way to finality whenever the sole member decides. I am as disappointed as anybody else that the recommendation of Judge Cory was not accepted by the British Government. I am conscious of the fact that the day after our meeting there was the High Court decision to grant a judicial review to the Finucane family. They took that case and I understand it will be held in the High Court in Belfast next May.

The Deputy has raised the Ballymurphy incident with me previously. I attended the Aisling Awards in Belfast, at which the recipient of the Person of the Year award was Pat Finucane's wife, and had the privilege of seeing the representatives of the families of the Ballymurphy victims accept the Culture and Arts award for the play Ballymurphy - The Aftermath, which they dedicated to those who lost their lives during that dreadful time. I have no objection to meeting with the representatives of the Ballymurphy families the next time I happen to be in Belfast, as I indicated to them that night.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with much of what the Taoiseach said about the importance of the extraordinary relationship between Britain and Ireland, particularly the economic and trade relationship. For that reason it is almost incomprehensible that he did not have a meeting with the British Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, before the summit. All the indications in advance of the summit were that it would be a profound summit, with grave implications. If we accept that the trading relationship is vital to our national interest, I respectfully suggest that the Taoiseach should not have signed up to the treaty that evening with Britain outside it. There is no point in meeting the Prime Minister a month later and saying we have a vital alliance and relationship. Five o'clock in the morning is no time for this type of division. Despite all the rhetoric about a major diplomatic initiative, does the Taoiseach not agree his approach to diplomatic relations has been extraordinarily passive? There is a lack of engagement on the part of the Taoiseach personally.

Soundings from the Commission and other soundings indicate that smaller states are bystanders in terms of the Merkozy drive to change the shape and nature of Europe into the future. Does the Taoiseach not agree that the smaller nations must re-assert themselves in the context of the significant issues coming down the tracks with regard to the future of the European Union and the fiscal compact treaty? There has been far too much passivity on Ireland's part and I do not get a sense from the Taoiseach, despite all my questions, of what we stand for and what our position is on these issues.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We stand very clearly for being a central part of the European Union process and we intend to play our part fully in it. The Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, was not in Marseilles because the Conservative Party does not attend European People's Party, EPP, meetings. I attended that meeting and spoke to President Sarkozy, Chancellor Merkel, the Spanish Prime Minister-elect, Mr. Rajoy, the Portuguese Prime Minister, Mr. Coelho, and the other leaders of the European Council who were at the EPP meeting. However, I spoke to the Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, on the telephone before I went to the meeting and he informed me of his intentions and what he wanted to put on the table at the Council meeting. I was sitting beside him and was aware of the implications and the legal advice he had. I spoke to him on many occasions during the course of the meeting. Actually, the break did not occur at five in the morning but much earlier.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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However, it occurred.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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If the Deputy asserts that we should not have accepted what was under discussion by the 17 states, he clearly wishes to set us on a different path. We are members of the eurozone and the European Union and the euro is our currency.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Dutch did not want the break up either.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The British are members of the European Union but not of the eurozone and their currency is sterling. These things are interconnected and one is very important for the other. I very much regret that it was not possible to have the 29 states involved in this. I hope that whatever is agreed can eventually be merged into the treaties of the European Union so the power of the 27 can be seen to be implemented in the Single Market, which the Deputy supports, and can have a direct impact on the economies of all the countries, with beneficial consequences for Ireland as an exporting nation in jobs, careers and opportunities.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Taoiseach agree that President Sarkozy does not run Europe? President Sarkozy proclaimed after that summit that we had got rid of the British and that this was great. He said the way forward is to leave the British behind.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Sorry, Deputy, this is Question Time.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Somebody must stand up to President Sarkozy and tell him he does not run Europe.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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At the Council meeting I made the point that it would be preferable to have the 27 countries together-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Taoiseach signed up without it.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----and that Britain is important for the European Union and vice versa. Obviously, I do not speak for President Sarkozy. There is a long tradition of competitiveness between France and Britain. This is a very serious matter for the European Union.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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And for domestic French politics.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As I said, my clear preference was to have the 27 states, but we do not. We must make do with what we have.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The British are well able to stand up for themselves. The challenge for us is to get the Taoiseach to stand up for the Irish on a range of issues.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy need not worry about that.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I agree there should not be a hierarchy of victims. I have welcomed the decision of the court to allow the family to have a full judicial review. However, the family should not have to go to the courts for 20 years. That is our failure and the failure of diplomacy. It is the failure of the Irish Government using all its channels to get this family its demands, as well as in the other cases that were raised. It would be very revealing to get a sense of the letters, communications and the different means the Government has used to ventilate these issues with the British Government. I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach raised the issue but I am not assured that this forms part of a real diplomatic initiative by the Government. If the Taoiseach was doing that and fulfilling his responsibility for these citizens to have their entitlements and rights, he could lecture everybody else.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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On the last occasion the Deputy raised this on Question Time I said I would raise it with the British Prime Minister and report back to the House again. I am not in a position to direct these things. I pointed out that there was a unanimous decision of the House and it was clearly the view of the Irish Government that there should be a public inquiry, and that I was disappointed that a QC would be appointed to examine these papers. I am not sure what will come out of this on the part of the British establishment. I met the Finucane family in Belfast and I discussed this with them. I indicated the continued support of the Government for a public inquiry into the death of Pat Finucane. I also said that, as part of that process, I would raise this in whatever discussions I have with those who matter in the United States.

It was an intergovernmental agreement between the two countries at Weston Park that whatever Judge Cory recommended would be pursued. That is why there is a unanimous decision of this House on the matter, and I was disappointed it did not happen. I cannot give directions to another government but I strongly feel this particular case, while not having any priority for those who are unfortunately deceased, was a specific case, along with the Smithwick tribunal which resulted from the other incidents, which should be followed through. From that point of view, it is a breach of something that was agreed.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Taoiseach's commitment to meet with the Ballymurphy families. However, he has made that commitment a few times and it should not wait until the next time he is in Belfast. He should invite the families down here. They would be very pleased to meet with him and would be very pleased if he agreed to do that.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Hold on, the Deputy has always said to me - he has some experience of this - that I should meet people on their own ground. In fact, when I did not have the opportunity the Deputy invited me to west Belfast to see what is being done in the communities. I intend to do that. This is a matter on which the Deputy has long experience. While there is political stability and peace, which is very important, there are many inter-community issues that must be addressed. It was for this reason that I expressed to the British Prime Minister my view that funding for inter-community engagement should continue to be provided through the PEACE III arrangement. When I visited the Short Strand and other communities I saw at first hand the commitment of people from diverse sectors to making young people appreciate that what was hard won should not be lost by going down the wrong route.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I only ask that the Taoiseach have a quiet meeting with the families.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I will meet them in Belfast.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I asked four of the questions in the group, two on the European Union and two on the Good Friday Agreement. On the latter, as the Taoiseach will agree, we are entering into a new and important phase in which the institutions of the Agreement have to be more fully entrenched. I have been struck by independent commentary recently - by which I mean independent of the political system - which has been critical of the constructive engagement of parties in the North-South political dialogue outside of the institutions. It appears there has been very little activity at political level beyond the formal North-South Ministerial Council meetings. I ask the Taoiseach to instruct his Ministers to increase their regular engagements with the Assembly, Executive and cross-Border bodies and to examine the North-South relationship. There has been considerable criticism not only of parties in the Republic, but also parties in Northern Ireland, that there has been a certain degree of inertia in terms of pushing the North-South agenda, which is an integral part of the Good Friday Agreement. A fresh injection of energy and impetus is needed. I ask the Taoiseach to comment on this issue and assure the House that the level and quality of engagement will be improved.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I assure Deputy Martin that I do not have any problem encouraging and instructing Ministers to engage fully with the Executive and Assembly and the different organisations and groups which may be relevant to their responsibilities in a cross-Border sense. The North-South Ministerial Council meeting held in Armagh had a genuinely good discussion of the economic challenges facing the North and South and a range of topics was discussed. The Minister for Finance dealt with the issue of the National Asset Management Agency and the banks as well as opportunities to make savings through beneficial co-operation in both directions. The Minister for Education and Skills discussed educational issues and there was a discussion about collaboration in third level education. Cross-Border energy issues were also discussed, including when it would make practical sense to do so. The importance of the agrifood sector where a great deal of activity is taking place was also discussed.

The council approved the appointment of chairpersons, vice-chairpersons and members of the boards of the North-South implementation bodies and the directors of Tourism Ireland limited. As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Open golf tournament, with all the champions from Northern Ireland, will go North this year. We discussed developments in the north-west gateway initiative, with a view to progressing the matter during 2012 and signed off on the admittedly reduced funding for the A5 and A8 road projects. We noted also that the relevant Departments will prepare funding for a new programme for them.

I do not have any difficulty accepting Deputy Martin's recommendation, which is already being implemented, that Ministers be very active in their work with their counterparts in the Assembly and Executive. The truth of the matter is that a great deal of activity in respect of North-South dialogue is often overlooked now because it no longer has the heightened sensationalism it once had as a result of the absence of trouble, which is in everybody's interests. Normal relations are very important and the Deputy can take it that Ministers and Ministers of State, in so far as committees are concerned, will work actively with their counterparts in the North.