Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Throughout the recent talks, the Government maintained the view that the best way to strengthen peace and reconciliation across this island is to implement fully the commitments undertaken in the two foundational agreements of the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement. These agreements, together with the Stormont House Agreement, will remain at the core of the Government’s approach to Northern Ireland.

In the course of the talks, progress was made regarding the implementation of a number of commitments from previous agreements. The St. Andrews Agreement included a commitment to take forward a review of the North-South implementation bodies and areas for co-operation. Progress secured in the Stormont House Agreement means that the North-South Ministerial Council, meeting in institutional format, will agree by end February 2015 a report on new sectoral priorities for North-South co-operation, identified during ministerial discussions since November 2013. In the context of the Good Friday Agreement commitment regarding a Northern Ireland civic forum, the Government advanced the position that greater civic engagement would stimulate informed public debate in Northern Ireland in key societal challenges. I welcome that the Stormont House Agreement provides for the establishment of a civic advisory panel to meet regularly on key social, cultural and economic issues.

As is the case with all participants in the talks, there were issues which the Irish Government wished to see concluded but, unfortunately, sufficient consensus was not reached. For example, I was disappointed that a commitment to an Irish language Act, either enacted in Westminster or the Northern Ireland Assembly, did not form part of the final agreement. I welcome, however, the explicit endorsement in the agreement by the British Government of the principle of respect for and recognition of the Irish language in Northern Ireland. The Government will continue to advocate for an Irish language Act and encourage those Northern Ireland parties which currently support an act to continue to build the necessary enabling consensus among their Executive colleagues.

See this speech in context