Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland was reconstituted as one of ten Cabinet committees established in January 2023. It operates in accordance with established guidelines for Cabinet committees and, where appropriate, substantive issues are referred to Government for discussion and approval. The committee is intended to oversee implementation of relevant programme for Government commitments in the area of Brexit and Northern Ireland and ongoing relevant developments. A date for the next meeting has not been set.

Northern Ireland-related matters are also discussed at meetings of the full Cabinet. Most recently, on 28 February, the Cabinet considered a memorandum on the agreement reached between the EU and UK on the Windsor Framework. We also discussed the Windsor Framework at the Cabinet committee on European affairs last night.

The Department's Britain and Northern Ireland division consists of two units, the British-Irish and Northern Ireland affairs unit and the shared island unit. The former assists me in my engagement with the Good Friday Agreement institutions, including the North-South Ministerial Council and at the British-Irish Council summits, and also on my visits to Northern Ireland, as well as providing policy advice and input. Other responsibilities include oversight of the New Decade, New Approach commitments, working with the shared island unit in advancing these goals as part of efforts to enhance North-South co-operation. The unit supports British-Irish relations in light of the challenges arising from Brexit, including with the British Government and the devolved Scottish and Welsh Governments. The shared island unit in the division acts as a driver and co-ordinator of the programme for Government commitment to work with all communities and traditions on the island to build consensus around a shared future, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. It co-ordinates the implementation of shared island investment objectives across Government Departments, fostering dialogue with all communities on common concerns for the future and commissioning research on policy considerations for the whole island.

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