Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The decision of President Trump to withdraw the USA unilaterally from the Paris Agreement has been immensely damaging to the climate change agenda worldwide. Added to this, the obsessive attempt of President Trump's Administration to promote fossil fuels above cleaner and sustainable alternatives means the USA, at least at federal level, is not only opting out of the agreement, but actively trying undermine its objectives and prevent it achieving its goals. Did the Taoiseach raise this issue in any of his discussions with the President and Vice President or any member of Congress?

As appears now to be the custom, the White House announced a presidential visit to Ireland before our own Government did. While the Taoiseach has an uncanny ability to announce Prime Minister May's activities, it appears President Trump fulfils this role for him. Can the Taoiseach explain what has actually been agreed? Did the Taoiseach issue an invitation to President Trump to visit Ireland, when is the visit due to take place and when does the Taoiseach propose to make the basic detail available, as is customary?

At a moment when two of the three strands of the Good Friday Agreement are suspended and the third is dysfunctional, does the Taoiseach think the cause of peace and reconciliation is served by senior Irish politicians reverting to old practices and marching behind simplistic banners bearing quotes such as "England get out of Ireland" or, indeed, by attacks on anyone who questions this? A new Ireland, as envisaged by the Good Friday Agreement, is accepted to be underpinned by three sets of relationships, namely, the British-Irish relationship, the North-South relationship and the relationship between the two traditions on this island. In any future evolution of that agreement, those three sets of relationship have to be centre stage. Does the Taoiseach agree with that proposition?

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