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

It is great to see strand 3 of the Good Friday Agreement fully operational again, as evidenced by the regular meetings of the British-Irish Council and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. I note that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, attended the meeting of the British-Irish Council on 24 November, hosted by the Taoiseach. I wish to ask about strand 1, relating to the status and system of government in Northern Ireland, and in particular about efforts to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly. The Northern Ireland Secretary this week is involved in all-party talks with the five main political parties in the North. It would seem that the issues surrounding the Windsor Framework have been largely resolved but Northern Ireland has a big budget problem. It is reported that the British Government has put a £2.5 billion financial package on the table. As co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, can the Taoiseach give any indication of how these talks are proceeding? Are we likely to get an agreement on the restoration of the institutions before Christmas?

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