Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 11, inclusive, together.

I met with Prime Minister, Theresa May, on the margins of the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday, 9 March. We discussed the Northern Ireland Assembly election results and the implications that Brexit will have for the North and for relationships across these islands. We reiterated our joint and continuing commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and its institutions and our shared desire to see a fully functioning Executive back in place within the required three-week period.

The absence of political leadership in Northern Ireland is regrettable at this particularly critical time and in that regard, we welcomed the engagement by the political parties in Northern Ireland with Secretary of State Brokenshire and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and hoped that these channels of communication would remain open. I emphasised to the Prime Minister the importance of finding a way forward on outstanding commitments and, in particular, on issues like the legacy institutions under the Stormont House Agreement, and the Irish language.

The Prime Minister confirmed she would trigger Article 50 before the end of the month. We now know the date of that. We discussed the enormous challenges that Brexit presents for Northern Ireland and the peace process. We are agreed on the importance of our two Governments working together to ensure that the framework of the Good Friday Agreement and successor agreements is fully preserved in the upcoming Brexit negotiations and outcomes. We both reaffirmed our commitment to maintaining the common travel area and the need to find a solution that would preserve the common travel area and also maintain a seamless Border on the island of Ireland.

Following the outcome of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, spoke with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and a number of the main party leaders in Northern Ireland. The Minister and Secretary of State Brokenshire have been engaged in talks with party leaders to encourage them to play their part in creating the conditions that allow for the formation of a new power-sharing Assembly and Executive.

The heart of the Good Friday Agreement is its interlocking political institutions. However, they can only be sustained on the basis of partnership, equality and mutual respect.  As a co-guarantor, the Irish Government is determined to uphold the principles of the Agreement and to protect its institutions. In the coming weeks, we will work with all concerned to see the power-sharing Assembly and Executive restored to effective and harmonious operation.

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