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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 to 19, inclusive, together.

I hosted the 40th British-Irish Council summit in Dublin on 24 November. The theme of the summit was transforming children's lives, tackling child poverty and improving well-being. There was an excellent discussion about approaches across the British-Irish Council members and the scope to share learnings. I outlined the Government's work including the establishment of the child poverty and well-being programme in my Department to co-ordinate efforts in government.

We discussed the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories, the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and our shared climate objectives. I also updated the council on my recent EU and international engagements including the last European Council meeting in November.

Regarding Northern Ireland I, along with the other members of the council, regretted the continued absence of any representatives from Northern Ireland. We were in agreement with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that restoration of the Executive and Assembly is in the best interests of the people there, and needs to be done on a sustainable basis.

On the margins of the summit, I met with the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford. We discussed our strong bilateral relationship, including the recent Ireland-Wales Forum in October. I also met bilaterally with the Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf. We discussed our ongoing engagement and shared learning in a range of sectors and the potential to deepen links between our two countries.

The summit provided another valuable opportunity to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and all that has been achieved. As co-guarantor of the Agreement, the Government’s focus and priority remains on getting the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Executive, and the North-South Ministerial Council back up and running so that all three strands of the Agreement can function properly.

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