Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's clear indication that he wants to see the momentum restored to ensure the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement are implemented in full. At the North-South Ministerial Council meeting last Friday, did the members of the Northern Ireland Executive indicate whether they are attaching any urgency to achieving agreement on the Bill of Rights, which needs to be drawn up and agreed between the main parties in the Assembly? Following the St. Andrews Agreement, responsibility for Acht na Gaeilge was devolved to the Assembly and the Executive, and also the North-South consultative forum. Over the years, Governments here have put forward proposals on advancing that matter. Are all these issues being held up by non-agreement in the Executive? Is the British Government showing any interest in implementing the remaining elements given that it is a co-guarantor, along with the Irish Government, of an internationally binding agreement?

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