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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 15, inclusive, together.

On 9 August, I visited Belfast for political, business and civic engagements, which included meetings with the five main parties in Northern Ireland. In those meetings, we discussed the window of opportunity this autumn for forming the Executive and getting the Assembly back in place and I listened carefully to each of their assessments. While in Belfast, I also visited Linfield Football Club, had a meeting with the GAA Ulster Council, the recruitment company Staffline and the Federation of Small Businesses. I ended my day at a networking event for Women in Business NI.

I was also in Belfast on 11 September for the launch of the PEACEPLUS programme, a new cross-Border EU programme with an unprecedented budget of €1.1 billion. While there, I met with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Chris Heaton-Harris. The programme is co-funded by the UK and the EU, with funding from the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, with the bulk of it coming from the UK Government. We are agreed that the continued long absence of an Executive and Assembly is detrimental to the interests of all in Northern Ireland. I would like to see this ongoing engagement between the UK Government and the DUP conclude successfully and soon.

When we met on 20 September in New York, the Tánaiste and I updated President Biden on the current situation in Northern Ireland. We discussed the UK legacy Act and I outlined my concerns in that regard. President Biden remains very committed to the Good Friday Agreement institutions and principles and reiterated that he is always available to help if we think he can. We agreed to remain in contact on these matters. I will discuss the situation in Northern Ireland with Prime Minister Sunak when we meet tomorrow on the margins of the European Political Community meeting in Granada in Spain.

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