Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. Their submission is quite interesting. Unfortunately, most people like the witnesses could spend their time going to meetings and functions and they could nearly eat out for the next five years on Brexit. A famous saying about Brexit is that we are where we are and we have to see where we will go now.

With regard to devolution, we are in a very dangerous situation. There has not been a government for one and a half years. The longer the two main parties are in a position, the more difficult they will find it to get out of it. That is not helping the Brexit issue, certainly on the island of Ireland, in Northern Ireland and in the UK. Both the DUP and Sinn Féin say they want to go into government. I attended the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Queen's University, which was fascinating. Two things stood out. One was Seamus Mallon saying that unionism needed space and air to breathe. One could see that reflected among the audience. The following night at the Goliath Trust, at a dinner to address education deficits in Northern Ireland, Bertie Ahern, who has his finger on the pulse, called on the two main parties effectively to stop the messing. I felt that there was a serious judgment in that room. I believe we are in a very dangerous situation. The two parties need help.

We were on Capitol Hill last week to thank the establishment, the politicians and the people of the United States for their involvement in the Good Friday Agreement and seeking some renewal as well. I never thought I would say this but Donald Trump is moving into Korea on 13 June. Perhaps when he is in London on 13 July, it could be a way out for the two parties to come together to set up devolution.

At present, everything is being tried. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the United Kingdom have been trying for a year and a half. I note that the politicians cannot make a decision and civil servants are being accused of stepping over the mark. We are in a very dangerous situation. We need every outside influence. Without the influence of the European Union and the United States, there would not have been a Good Friday Agreement. We had a great many strong leaders who were able to make that agreement.

Do the witnesses have an opinion on the third option emerging in recent days? It looks as if we are kicking the can down the road. If it gives everybody some space, it is welcome.

The witnesses said that the British-Irish relationship is key. In two weeks' time, we will have a plenary session of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, meeting in Sligo. BIPA meets every six months and relationships and friendships have been built up over time. For the past four or five years, we have had the North-South Interparliamentary Association and Members from Stormont coming down to Leinster House andvice versa. This has not been highlighted but the relationships we have built are significant.

I am very concerned and worried about what will happen when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. For the past 40 years we have had 26 meetings on average daily between UK and Irish officials. I have no doubt that the interaction brought about the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which brought about the Good Friday Agreement and delivered peace to the island of Ireland and between the two islands. What more can we do to ensure that there is more inter-parliamentary interaction? Friendships among politicians break down doors. I hope there may be a breakthrough in the next few weeks. We have had a minority Government that has worked very well but we are united in ensuring that a good deal for the UK is a good deal for Ireland and the EU. We may need to think differently to get out of the current situation. As a politician, I would like to hear the views of our witnesses who are academics.