Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for those comments. As I said, I have undertaken to raise the Jerusalem report and will do so at European level. Obviously, we will use our Presidency of the European Union which we will hold until the end of June to progress the peace process. The fact that there is a lull and a ceasefire at the moment, which is welcome, presents an opportunity to drive through on a number of issues. In so far as our membership of the European Union is concerned, we strongly support the position of the Union both in regard to the blockade and the issues that might lead to increased normalisation of life. The Tánaiste has met the Secretary of State, Mr. Kerry, on two occasions. I am not sure whether I will have the opportunity to meet him next week. It is not scheduled as a bilateral meeting, although in the course of conducting business around the White House agenda, it may well happen. I will obviously mention the case of Pat Finucane and the situation in Northern Ireland to our counterparts in the United States. As I said, I did not raise the matter specifically with the then Secretary of State, Mrs. Clinton, as she had a very tight schedule when she was here. She left Government Buildings to cross the road to speak to Mr. Brahimi and Russian representatives about the situation in Syria which was dominating world headlines on those days and obviously still is.

We are all concerned about the Northern Ireland peace process and the Good Friday Agreement. I discussed the issue yesterday with the Prime Minister and we have agreed that a very high level group will meet almost immediately to discuss a number of matters. Clearly, there is a need for political leadership to grasp the issue and work through the many matters that can be worked through. From the point of view of the Government, we have been very anxious to pursue a range of issues through the North-South Ministerial Council. Colleagues on the benches here are fully engaged at that level. However, I would like to think that, arising from the difficulties before and after Christmas, we will focus on what it is going to take to progress the Good Friday Agreement, of which we are co-guarantors and to which we referred yesterday in Downing Street. That is why I have made the point repeatedly that, owing to the case made by so many, €150 million was included from the MFF budget for the Peace IV programme which can be very effective in the sensitive line areas. Obviously, it is our mandate as part of the Presidency to negotiate with the European Parliament to obtain consent or approval for the budget, as is required under the Lisbon treaty.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, is equally concerned that we make whatever political judgments and decisions we can to work with the Assembly and the Executive in order that political leadership is seen to be very clear in its direction, the normalisation of life and a calming of the serious disruptive influences, by dealing with the severe threat for some time from dissidents and paramilitaries and activities in that sphere. This will ensure the reputation and perception of Northern Ireland can continue to grow and that Northern Ireland can continue to become an attractive location for investment and jobs to be created. The high level group of officials from the British and Irish Governments will meet very quickly to consider a number of the issues that we discussed yesterday. I hope our engagement leading up to the G8 summit in Fermanagh in June will centre on a number of areas where we think some clear progress and opportunities can present. We will keep the House updated as these matters develop.

I share Deputy Adams's view of the late Sir George Quigley, whom I met on a number of occasions when I was Minister of State with responsibility for trade. Even in the very difficult days of the late 1970s, early 1980s and afterwards, he always had a view about North-South business and trade. He used to say there was an opportunity for businesses in the Republic to test markets in Northern Ireland, small though they were, and vice versa. Even in the very dark times, that element of trade and business interaction continued and, of course, has flourished since. Sir George Quigley was a central element in keeping this going until better times returned.

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