4 o’clock

We also discussed Storm Éowyn and ongoing recovery efforts. I welcomed and thanked the Prime Minister for the assistance to ESB Networks provided by UK and other international crews as part of a mutual association agreement among electricity companies.

I spoke to the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney on 4 February and discussed the significant effects of Storm Éowyn and the challenges of addressing climate resilience in both countries.

On 6 December, I attended the 42nd British-Irish Council Summit, hosted by the Scottish Government in Edinburgh. In the margins of the summit, I had bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, the Northern Ireland First Minister, Michelle O’Neill and the Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, the First Minister of Scotland John Swinney and the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan. The overall theme of the summit was financing a just transition. The then Taoiseach Simon Harris attended the plenary session and set out Ireland’s commitment to climate action and the work we are doing to ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy is done in a just and fair manner.

I look forward to attending the next British-Irish Council Summit to be hosted by the Northern Ireland Executive in June.

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