Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Fine Gael should so the same, as should the Labour Party. The peace process is the most important political project on the island. It is through the building of all-Ireland sectors as part of a single island economy, including the environment, health, energy, education and agriculture, that peace will be developed, not least along the Border corridor where real co-operation can be built among neighbours. All aspects, including the economic dividend, should be nurtured.

This is a time of change in the union. I refer to the status of the United Kingdom, mar dhea, developments in Scotland with, perhaps, more to come in the time ahead, the British Government's commitment to holding a referendum on membership of the European Union, all of which present challenges but also opportunities. Therefore, the Government needs to be fully and consistently engaged in a strategic manner, in keeping with its constitutional obligations, as well as its responsibilities under a series of agreements from the Good Friday Agreement onwards. I would like to think this is only one in a series of debates for as long as the Taoiseach is in government.

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