Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Tánaiste's comments on the mass shooting. I believe it is the eighth instance of gun violence in schools and it is a tragic loss for all the families involved.

I also acknowledge the Tánaiste's comments here in the Dáil, in particular his statement that the Government is making its position clear to the British Government in the appropriate way. It is important for all of us to remember that the objective is to get the institutions up and running on a sustainable basis with integrity, respect and equality at its core. Whatever about political potshots, this issue is far bigger than political parties and cheap political points.

That is our aim. It is what we are committed to doing. In my view, the Government needs to stay focused, on track and steady with regard to this. We have stretched ourselves and worked hard to get the institutions back up and running. As the Tánaiste said, progress has been made. However, it is not just the case that progress had been made. An accommodation had been reached with the leadership of the DUP and a way forward on all the key issues. For our part, let me be very clear that we are open for business and want to address these issues. A basis for a deal was on the table and that is a deal we are up for. We look forward to working with the Tánaiste, the Government and other political parties in the time ahead to ensure that the institutions are back up and running on a credible and sustainable basis with equality, integrity and respect at their core.

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