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

I thank the Taoiseach for his answer and his contribution at the conference. I was privileged to be present for most of the conference, which was excellent. It was inspiring to listen to those people who brought peace to our island by reaching the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. I was struck by many of the comments, particularly the contribution of former Senator George Mitchell. Two or three of his comments resonated with me in particular. He said it was his "genuine sincere hope, that people of Northern Ireland will get the self-governance that they’re entitled to". He spoke about ensuring it will be "possible for every child in Northern Ireland to go as high and as far as their talent and willingness to work will take them". He continued:

That’s the fundamental aim of democratic societies everywhere. And Northern Ireland, I think more than most, has people of energy, commitment and they deserve that chance.

That is exactly what the Taoiseach referred to. The clear message running through all of the contributions from former government leaders, people in political leadership roles today in government, the European Union and political parties North and South was that the institutions need to be up and running. We listened to Bertie Ahern, Tony Blair and others talk about the huge challenges and issues they faced leading up to 1998, such as the huge constitutional issues associated with trying to set up institutions, reform policing and make major legislative changes. Surely it has to be possible to get the institutions - the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly, the North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council - up and running. The Taoiseach will have heard former Congressman Joe Kennedy, President Biden's special envoy to Northern Ireland, speak about the importance of political stability and certainty for Northern Ireland's regulatory framework to ensure US investment is brought to Northern Ireland in order to benefit every community there with jobs.

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