Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for the opportunity today for this House to consider recent developments in Northern Ireland. I take good note of all the points raised by Deputies in the course of our debate. While we may sometimes differ on points of emphasis or perspective, I know that all Members of this House are united in wanting to see the power-sharing institutions operate as effectively as possible for the people of Northern Ireland and across this island. I thank them for their constructive contributions to that end in today's debate.

With the Assembly now reconvened, the Speaker and Deputy Speakers elected and the Executive up and running, Northern Ireland and the island as a whole can begin to unlock progress and move forward. Momentum matters, and I am confident that the new Executive will take forward this work with energy to proactively address the pressing day-to-day challenges facing Northern Ireland, supported in every way we can by this Government.

As elected representatives, we have a particular appreciation of the political decision taken two weeks ago that enabled representatives from all parties and communities in Northern Ireland to finally be able to take up their democratic mandate. We recognise it is long overdue for the people of Northern Ireland to have their voices heard, and their interests represented but we recognise also that, for some, it was a difficult decision that had to take time. Now, the restoration of the Executive and the Assembly provides a more stable footing for the path ahead.

Over the last two years, the Government and our officials have stayed in close touch with the Northern Ireland political parties and the British Government in support of ongoing efforts to restore the institutions. We engaged, provided support and created necessary space for discussions. We were clear that the blockage of the political institutions could not be allowed to drift indefinitely, that the absence of power-sharing was creating and deepening challenges for all communities, and that it was having a range of detrimental knock-on effects across this island, not least by preventing the full operation of the North-South Ministerial Council.

As co-guarantor, we have a responsibility to deliver the full benefit of the Good Friday Agreement to all on this island. We have real opportunity and momentum this year to realise the benefit of having the political institutions across all three strands, which are interlocking and interdependent, up and running. As the Tánaiste and Taoiseach have made clear, the Government stands ready to support the work of this new Executive, to engage constructively and to work together in areas where co-operation could make a positive difference to citizens' daily lives.

While the recent developments at Stormont are very welcome, Northern Ireland presents challenges, including the cost of living and public sector pay and healthcare challenges, and these will not be resolved overnight. It will require further collaborative efforts to make the progress necessary to restore the faith of people in Northern Ireland in the ability of politics to deliver for them. Protecting and affirming that faith is a responsibility that all of us as elected leaders have.

I know that Deputies across the House value the cross-Border co-operation that has been the hallmark of so much of the progress achieved since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. It is regrettable that the absence of devolved strand one instructions in Belfast over the past two years meant that the North-South Ministerial Council, established under strand two, was also blocked from operating fully in recent years. The Government is eager to see the early resumption of meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council so that we can provide new impetus to practical co-operation that delivers for citizens in areas from tourism to food safety to trade.

In addition to regular meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, I also look forward to enhanced thematic co-operation on an east-west basis in the years ahead. While the British-Irish Council has continued to meet, including a successful summit meeting last November, a vital voice has been missing for some time. We look forward to Ministers from the restored Northern Ireland Executive taking up their roles in the British-Irish Council. Through this forum for east-west co-operation, member administrations can consult, share expertise and build strong partnerships to address social, economic and environmental concerns that affect us all.

I am sure that committees of the Dáil will also wish to maximise opportunities to consult and collaborate with the newly appointed Northern Ireland Assembly committees, as has been the case and has been beneficial under previous mandates, and to continue to engage proactively with the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.

The Government continues to co-operate with partners across these islands, as well as with international partners, in support of stability and prosperity. United States Special Envoy Joe Kennedy III's recent visit to Dublin was very welcome at a decisive time for Northern Ireland. In their discussions, the Tánaiste and Special Envoy Kennedy agreed that we stand ready to seize the opportunity on hand for greater stability and prosperity.

We are fully committed to supporting economic growth across the island of Ireland and will continue to promote the benefits of this island for trade, tourism, and investment. This is the consistent expectation of business and community stakeholders. Our closely integrated all-island economy is one of the key dividends of the peace process and remains a priority for everybody on the island. The Government will continue to work to create an enabling environment for businesses, North and South, to grow cross-Border trade and further unlock the potential of the all-island economy.

Functioning devolved institutions will help Northern Ireland maximise the opportunities that arise from access to the European Single Market and their place in the UK internal market, supported by the Windsor Framework. The Government welcomes that Foreign Secretary Cameron and European Commission Vice-President Šefčovič have reiterated their shared commitment to the full implementation of the Windsor Framework. The EU has been resolute in its support for the Good Friday Agreement, including in the context of the Windsor Framework. We will continue to study the details of the proposal and liaise with the Commission.

As joint stewards of the Good Friday Agreement, the relationship between Ireland and the UK is of fundamental importance. Partnership between our two Governments must be based on a shared understanding of our responsibilities as guarantors of the agreement. The Government will remain in close contact with partners in the British Government and the Executive to do everything possible to keep politics in Northern Ireland on a sustainable and stable footing.

Deputies have raised a number of issues and I will briefly refer to them. Some Deputies raised the shared island initiative. We will begin by making an allocation from the shared island fund in 2024 to progress our objectives and commitments under the programme for Government and the national development plan. We hope to work with a new Executive and with the British Government to take forward new all-island investment co-operation.

We are firmly committed to capital investment in the A5 road upgrade, as provided for under New Decade, New Approach and we want to see this progress without undue delay. We also want to step up cross-Border investment co-operation, for instance, on educational attainment issues in Northern Ireland, on enterprise development and on the provision of specialist healthcare services in an all-island context. Under all scenarios, we will continue to pursue and develop opportunities to invest in and deepen relationships on both a North-South and east-west basis.

Deputy Tóibín mentioned reform of the Assembly. Now that the Assembly is back up and running, MLAs should have a discussion on the topic of reform. It should not be imposed from outside. As the Deputy noted, the Tánaiste has listened to the views of Assembly parties on reform and we hope that the MLAs now take up the opportunity to discuss this reform.

The possibility was raised of a citizens' assembly on the constitutional provisions of the Good Friday Agreement. It is not envisaged that we would have such a citizens' assembly. The Government's focus at this time is on the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operating as intended again, and to see our North-South and east-west relationships restored and reinvigorated after the challenges of recent years.

We were asked what the alternative is if there is not an Assembly. I just laid it out - it is to make sure of the full operation of the Good Friday Agreement.

There was also a mention of the legacy Act. In Stormont House, we, along with the parties in Northern Ireland, agreed a collective way forward on legacy issues. The compliance of the UK legislation with the European Convention on Human Rights, a fundamental requirement of the Good Friday Agreement, will be tested by the appropriate authority, the European Court of Human Rights. In the meantime, both Governments have much to do to work together. I draw this debate to a close now and welcome the clear support Dáil Éireann continues to offer to the full and effective operation of all strands of the Good Friday Agreement. Successive governments have drawn upon that support and sense of shared purpose in navigating challenging periods over the years. We will continue to do so. I thank Members for their contributions.

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