Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Given the horrific attack in Nice the week before, it was good that that visit went ahead, even if it was slimmed down, and that the Taoiseach was able to express our solidarity with the President and people of France.

We cannot be blasé about the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. It is very important that we argue for proper humanitarian approaches and peace processes across all of that region.

I wish to concentrate on our own situation. It is clear that President Hollande supports the Government's objectives in negotiations to minimise the impact of Brexit on the peace process, the common travel area and so on. The Taoiseach has said he raised with the French President concerns, concerns echoed by him, about the potential adverse impact on the Good Friday Agreement. I noted yesterday that the Taoiseach had given an example of where he had pointed out to the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, MP, that the Government had, rightly - in a modest way I was supportive of this - given information at the inquest into the Kingsmill massacre. The Taoiseach commended this to Mr. Brokenshire as an example the British Government should follow, but it did not follow it. As I said to the Taoiseach yesterday, it is blocking funding to deal with legacy issues for the victims of British terrorism. The Ballymurphy families, whom the Taoiseach, the leader of Fianna Fáil and others may have met, walked out of a meeting. Therefore, the Taoiseach's plea to Mr. Brokenshire and good sense approach did not work. Mr. Brokenshire totally ignored what the Taoiseach had said to him. In his discussions with President Hollande I wonder if the Taoiseach gave such examples.

We talk about our unique relationship with the British Government. There are many unique issues of common interest to us and the people of that island. However, on this issue, the Government is in breach of a huge number of its obligations under international treaties for which it has equal responsibility. I have said to the Taoiseach many times that we need to use our influence with friends abroad to ensure the British will live up to their obligations on all of these issues.

To return to the question I raised yesterday, to which to Taoiseach has still not given me a satisfactory answer, it is of key importance that the Government recognise, accept, advocate for and promote the vote people in the North have. If the Government does not do this within the international forum, who will? Nobody else will. The Deputy First Minister will and Sinn Féin might be able to do it in a limited way. However, Deputy Enda Kenny is the Taoiseach. He has to be very clear in saying to President Hollande and others that the people of the North voted to remain within the European Union and that the Government recognises, supports and is advocating for this because it also shares that position. If the Taoiseach is not clear on the issue, as on all other issues, the British will weasel their way out of it and it will be the people of this island who will pick up the pieces afterwards.

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