Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabh mo leithscéal. Bhí mé ag caint sa Seanad. Is é sin an fáth gur chaill mé tús chur i láthair an Tánaiste inniu. I welcome the Tánaiste. I join him in condemning the shocking gun attack on Detective John Caldwell in Omagh last week. As the Tánaiste said, it was a really shocking incident that took everyone by surprise. We take the opportunity today to reaffirm that we will not be going back and we hope Detective Caldwell makes a full and speedy recovery.

I join the Tánaiste and colleagues in welcoming the conclusion of the negotiations between the British Government and the European Union. It is important to say again in the broadest possible political, societal, trade union and business terms that we set ourselves a series of objectives in protecting the all-Ireland economy and ensuring there was no return to a hard border, and also safeguarding the North's place within the Single Market.

While I do not often disagree with my colleague, Senator Wilson, when I do, I do so respectfully. I do not think the message should go from this committee today, nor indeed from the Tánaiste, and I do not believe it has, that we have weeks here. The institutions in the North should have been up and running last May but they need to be up and running now, particularly in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, when public sector workers are going out on strike. For all of those reasons and many more, and given we are approaching the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the apparatus, the institutions and the promises of the Good Friday Agreement need to be working and they need to be worked. The only way we can do that is to get back into the institutions and deliver for people.

Other colleagues raised the issue of Palestine and the Tánaiste spoke about "violent tensions". I think that is putting it mildly and I do not think that kind of elusive language is helpful.