Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues, who raised a range of issues. On Deputy Haughey's comments on Northern Ireland, the role played by special envoy Joe Kennedy is very helpful. That President Biden appointed him as envoy to Northern Ireland but also as economic envoy to Northern Ireland is significant in and of itself for the reasons the Deputy outlined. We can be proud of the peace process on this island, which is something so cherished that we can never take for granted, but the prosperity element is the next step. That is the way to embed peace. The Irish Government takes a very active interest in all these issues in terms of our shared future and role as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement.

The investment conference held by special envoy Kennedy was important and I would like to see it followed up with a skills conference. There is a genuine deficit owing to young people leaving Northern Ireland, resulting in a skills drain in the economy, but we are very much putting our money where our mouth is regarding the economic well-being of Northern Ireland, Ireland and the island of Ireland. In this regard, let us consider the projects we are investing in through the shared island unit, whether they involve key road infrastructure like the A5; the expansion of educational provision in Derry through the Magee campus, a huge project; the Ulster Canal and the Narrow Water bridge, which will both provide genuine tourism benefits to Northern Ireland and the Republic; or our support for Casement Park, with its ability to provide opportunities and attract events to Northern Ireland. We continue to take every opportunity to play a positive role regarding our shared future. The Tánaiste and I are very aligned on and committed to this. However, there is a huge body of work to be done. There is absolutely no doubt that the economic impact of political inertia for several years has had a particularly challenging effect on Northern Ireland's public services. The First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Executive are working hard on all these issues.

I acknowledge Deputy Smith's acknowledgement of Joe Kennedy. I am honoured to have met Mr. Kennedy in Boston in March. I spoke to him on the phone within days of my becoming Taoiseach and I hope to meet him in person soon.

I am very supportive of the work he is doing. I will continue to keep the issue of undocumented Irish on the agenda, as will the Tánaiste, our ambassador in Washington, the Department of Foreign Affairs and my own Department. The innovative work being done in respect of E-3 visas and trying to find a way forward is important as well.

I saw the debate between the two US presidential candidates. I have a policy of not commenting on elections in other countries, but it was at a very early stage of the electoral cycle to have a debate for an election that will take place in November. I believe it might have been the earliest presidential debate so far.

Our foreign policy is an independent one. We will continue at every forum to speak our views on international issues, for example, our decision to recognise the State of Palestine when others would probably have preferred us not to, how we vote at the UN, how we speak at the European Council and how we vote on the Council of Ministers. We will continue to speak up for international law and in favour of human rights.

It was important that Deputy Ó Murchú acknowledged the support of the US and the key role it played in the peace process. I had the chance to thank former Senator George Mitchell, one of the architects of that work, when he visited me in my office in recent weeks.

As to whether I got some hope from the call is a fair question. I definitely left the call with President Biden with a clear understanding of the intensity of the work that is going on in the background to try to bring about a ceasefire. There are a range of vital issues that need to be discussed regarding the Middle East, but the most important is an immediate cessation of violence, and that is where the focus must be.

Regarding the association agreement, I do not want to mislead the Deputy. We are still the holder of a minority opinion at European level in that regard, but we continue to maintain that position.

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