Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 19, inclusive, together.

I have initiated a series of meetings with families of victims on all sides of the community in Northern Ireland as a sign of the priority my Government attaches to helping to find a lasting resolution to the hurts of the past. On 13 September, I met with the sole survivor and with family members of the ten Protestant workmen killed in the 1976 Kingsmill massacre in south Armagh. I invited the families to meet me so that I could hear at first hand how their lives had been affected by one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles.

This is a very important process. Many of these families and relatives are only speaking about what happened to them for the first time, and I was deeply touched by their stories.

I expressed my sympathy with the families for the indescribable loss they have suffered. I assured them that there is no hierarchy of victims and that their concerns are every bit as important to me as the concerns of other victims and their families. I emphasised to them that the IRA was the common enemy of all the people of Ireland, of all traditions, North and South, and that its campaign of violence was strongly resisted by successive Irish Governments.

I also met a delegation from the South East Fermanagh Foundation, led by Minister Arlene Foster, on 16 October. These were mostly farming families from Fermanagh whose lives and livelihoods were affected by the malign activities of the IRA. I promised both groups that I would reflect carefully on what they told me.

Officials from my Department met representatives from the Ballymurphy families in Belfast on 11 October. This meeting, which included a tour of the sites of those killed in August 1971 in Ballymurphy, was held to prepare for a meeting I intend to have with them myself in Dublin in the near future.

I also attended a Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen on Sunday, 11 November. I went to pay my respects to those from all traditions who gave their lives in the Great War and in particular to remember those killed in the Enniskillen bombing as they attended the corresponding ceremony on Remembrance Sunday 25 years ago. I also attended the service of remembrance in St. Macartin's Cathedral at which the former Archbishop, Lord Eames, delivered a powerful homily on the need for reconciliation. After the service I met privately with some of the families of the victims and those injured in the bombing. I also met members of the British Legion and their families at the British Legion hall in Enniskillen where representatives of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women were also in attendance.

I attended the 15th plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, NSMC, in Armagh on 2 November which was co-chaired by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. We discussed a wide range of shared issues, including the economic challenges we both face and the work being undertaken to address the economic crisis.

On our forthcoming EU Presidency we discussed our priorities for our Presidency term and the potential for co-operative actions during the Presidency. The importance of engagement within the NSMC to maximise mutual benefit from the Presidency was also recognised. We discussed challenges in the banking sector, NAMA, corporation tax and the benefits of working together to build stronger trade links with economies such as China. Our ambassador in Beijing has been helping the Northern Ireland Executive in this area and with their recent trade delegation to China. We also discussed the importance of tourism to both economies and the benefits of major initiatives such as the UK City of Culture celebrations and The Gathering 2013. Farm safety on both sides of the Border was also discussed. We also discussed the St. Andrews Agreement review and it was agreed that senior officials would meet and prepare proposals before the end of the year.

I will see the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, at the forthcoming European Council meeting later this week where the focus will be on the EU budget multi-annual financial framework. I expect to speak to him on this topic in advance of the summit. We have also committed to meeting together at annual summits to review and oversee progress in the broad areas outlined in the joint statement we agreed last March.

I was unable to meet with the British Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Nick Clegg, during his most recent visit to Dublin. However, the Tánaiste had a very positive engagement with him when they met at Iveagh House. I will also be attending the British-Irish Council summit in Cardiff on 26 November where the main item to be discussed is early years policy.

The Tánaiste also addressed the SDLP party conference and met the party leader, Dr. Alasdair McDonnell, in Armagh on 10 November.

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