Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Would the Tánaiste accept that the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, as part of the Good Friday Agreement, offers both Governments a way to help to break the deadlock between the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, and Sinn Féin? The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference represents the best way to move forward in the interests of both traditions, providing accommodations in the decisions that follow and delivering a package of legislation, such as Acht na Gaeilge, an Ulster Scots Act, reform of the petition of concern, the establishment of legacy bodies and the release of inquest resources, that would allow parties a route back to devolution. Would the Tánaiste agree that the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference could introduce the measures set out in last February's draft accommodation between Sinn Féin and the DUP, which Arlene Foster then rejected before pulling the plug on that round of talks? In his reply, the Tánaiste indicated that the public needs to be shown that there is urgency in getting institutions restored. People need to have a belief that those institutions will be working again. For far too long, Sinn Féin and the DUP have treated politics as confrontational rather than co-operative. The Tánaiste, Deputy Seán Crowe and I were in Queen's University on 10 April, the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, when we listened to former President Clinton, former Prime Minister Blair, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former Senator George Mitchell. All of the conversation at the dialogue that day indicated that, were it not for generosity and understanding of the other tradition's problems-----

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