Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Taoiseach about his recent visit to Washington, where he attended a number of events and had a meeting with US President Joe Biden. John Hume began to engage with US politicians in the 1970s and get them to take an active interest in Northern Ireland. Since then, successive US administrations have played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process. The Taoiseach's key message in Washington was that the Windsor Framework and the restoration of the Stormont institutions can result in significant investment in Northern Ireland over the next decade. The active support of President Biden for the Windsor Framework is most welcome as is the appointment of Mr. Joe Kennedy III as a special envoy for economic affairs. All the Northern Irish parties were in Washington for St. Patrick's Day, including the DUP. I am aware the DUP feels obliged to vote against the Stormont brake in the House of Commons this week as it awaits the outcome of the expert panel review. While in Washington, did the Taoiseach get any sense that all the parties realise the potential of the Windsor Framework and political stability in bringing about increased investment in the North?

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