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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together.

I met with the Prime Minister, Mr. Boris Johnson, in Chequers on Friday, 14 May. We had a constructive engagement across a number of issues. Our discussions focused on ways our two Governments can continue to work together to support all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and promote peace and prosperity on both a North-South and east-west basis. We also discussed issues around implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol and stressed the importance of addressing implementation issues in the agreed European Union-United Kingdom framework.

We discussed the long journey of the Ballymurphy families to achieve justice and vindicate the innocence of their loved ones. In that context, I emphasised the importance of the British Government responding to the families in a way that recognises the gravity of the findings of the inquiry, which categorically established that ten innocent people were killed. As well as discussing Ballymurphy specifically, Prime Minister Johnson and I spoke about legacy issues and how best to secure progress and answers for the many families who have been pursuing truth and justice for far too many years. These include the families of those killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings on 17 May 1974, the Dublin bombings of 1972 and 1973 and the bombing of Kay's Tavern in Dundalk, as well as that of Seamus Ludlow and the families of those killed in atrocities in Belturbet and elsewhere, all of whom the Government is fully committed to supporting in line with the programme for Government commitment and the three motions passed unanimously by Dáil Éireann.

I was clear with the Prime Minister that every family bereaved in the conflict should have access to an effective investigation and a process of justice, regardless of the perpetrator. The Stormont House Agreement framework allows for the crucial elements we need, namely, investigations, truth recovery, oral history, reconciliation and acknowledgement. While the Government is ready to engage and work with the British Government and the Northern Ireland parties in regard to any concerns around the aspects of the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, I made clear that this must be a collaborative and collective process. I also made clear that unilateral action cannot be the basis of any sustainable way forward. We will continue to engage with the UK Government on this.

We also discussed British-Irish relations. We are both ambitious for the development of the next phase of the bilateral relationship, framed around a number of areas of common interest, including research and innovation, sport and tackling climate change. We had a good exchange on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the value of working together. The Prime Minister and I agreed to remain in close touch over the coming weeks.

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