Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

Ar an gcéad dul síos, tá céad míle fáilte roimh Kara Owen agus déanaim comhghairdeas le Paul Johnston.

I thank Sinn Féin for putting the motion before us. It is my pleasure to deliver the closing remarks on behalf of an Rialtas. I echo the comments of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, at the outset of the debate, namely, that all of us in government share as a founding principle the commitment to the unification of this island. We all need to work together.

Tá gach ball den Rialtas ar aon intinn faoi cé chomh tábhachtach is atá sé an t-oileán seo a aontú. Táim lán cinnte go bhfuil gach ball sa Teach seo tiomanta don tsíocháin bhuan do mhuintir na hÉireann. All of us in government in this Chamber and across the Chamber are committed to enduring peace on the island and to the unity of our people. The Government believes this can only be achieved by a sustained focus on investment and reconciliation. We are determined to realise the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement. I agree with Deputy McGreehan. It is not about slogans; it is about all of us working together to ensure our island is reunified.

At the heart of the programme for Government is the enhancement of co-operation, connections and engagements with all communities and traditions to build that shared future. That is what we are delivering through North-South co-operation, the shared island initiative and PEACEPLUS in my Department. Our focus is on the promotion of reconciliation and our determination to address the legacy of the Troubles.

The shared island initiative is the most ambitious agenda set by any Government to promote co-operation and understanding across the island. The Government is supporting it through the allocation of €2 billion to 2035. It is about practical steps to make a difference to the lives of ordinary people North and South. It is about investing in areas where it makes sense to work together. It is about investing in people and communities. Major projects such as the iconic Narrow Water Bridge and the renovation of the Ulster Canal are well under way. Everyone who travels regularly from Dublin to Belfast or to Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry and Portadown will appreciate the transformative impact of the Enterprise train moving to an hourly service.

I visited Carlingford Lough recently to see the progress of the greenway, which connects people. These kinds of practical connectivity are important for better sharing on this island. That is why the Government is also supporting the resumption of the Dublin to Derry air link. We are also investing over €44 million in the expansion of the University of Ulster in Derry. Again, that is of benefit in terms of higher education, research and co-operation across the north west, as well as young people and their families on both sides of the Border benefiting.

We have allocated €2.5 million to build a specialised respite and therapeutic centre for children with cancer and their families from across the island. In August, the Government announced an award of €16 million in funding for the Higher Education Authority, HEA, under the North-South research programme to support four multiyear research collaborations between higher education institutions. Those collaborations will range from work on cybersecurity to Parkinson's disease, arts, culture, language and identities. In October, the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister of agriculture, Mr. Muir, announced a new cross-Border initiative to tackle bovine TB, which takes a heavy toll on rural communities on this island.

These are some of the practical steps that the Government is taking to build a truly shared island. That is what we mean when we say we are committed to unlocking the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement and improving the lives of people on this island today, tomorrow and whatever the future of the island may hold.

I agree with Deputy Gibney on respect for individuals and communities.

I will invoke Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin in my contribution. I had the pleasure of serving with Caoimhghín on the health committee. We were one of the first committees to go North to have those conversations about what a future island would look like. I want to pay tribute to him for his role and his leadership. He is a man I really have great time for because he understood the importance of people and of our island being shared and different denominations and different identities. I learned a lot from Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, and I want to remember him in my contribution tonight.

Practical initiatives bring us together, but we must also be ready for challenging conversations to create a more reconciled society. We are committed to supporting inclusive dialogue with all communities and political traditions. I remember Peter Barry, a person from my own city of Cork who always spoke to me about the importance of dialogue and of listening and understanding different traditions on our island. What we are doing, and what we should be doing, is about supporting work to build better relationships within Northern Ireland, between North and South and between Ireland and Britain.

The shared island dialogue series has brought together more than 4,000 citizens and civic representatives to discuss how we can address our common challenges and connect the whole island. This April, an Taoiseach announced at a shared island forum a new dimension to the shared island initiative to commence later this year, that is, the shared home place programme. This participative community initiative will be open to people across every town on the island. It will develop new connections and consensus through engagement with our place-based heritage and culture. The programme will engage with the contributions of Irish, Anglo-Irish and Ulster Scots traditions across the island of Ireland. It will also recognise and include the great ethnic and cultural diversity of the island now, and engage with diaspora communities in Britain, the United States and further afield.

This Government is overseeing continued growth in the reconciliation fund, which is a flagship programme for reconciliation since 1982. This year, the fund stands at over €7 million, and it will grow further next year. It was just €2.7 million in 2018. This year alone, more than 150 projects have benefited from our support, and as Members will know, demand is growing. That comes in part from a difficult funding environment in Northern Ireland, but it is also because more people see value in this work. Each year, new organisations come forward to seek support.

Complementing this work is the shared island civic society fund, which has a budget of €6 million for a two-year period from 2025 to 2027. That funding supports practical North-South co-operation and engagement through increased cross-Border civic society connections. When we speak about promoting reconciliation, this is what we mean; not a change in approach from the Good Friday Agreement. It is a commitment to prioritise the whole series of practical steps we need to take and the conversations we need to have to learn to work together better across the island, to see things from one another's perspective, to live in one another's skins. To have those conversations to have a more reconciled Ireland is the destination, but a commitment to the concept is also a part of the journey. It demands that all of us show generosity to each other's perspectives, other histories and other traditions. Too often, that generosity has been absent, and is absent. There is an onus on us as politicians and leaders. Each of us has friends, colleagues, contacts and neighbours, and we must urge each of them to show that generosity. Reconciliation is not a precondition to unity, but greater reconciliation is essential to whatever constitutional future you, I or whoever else wishes to see.

I have been taken by the PEACEPLUS programme that I am involved with in the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. This involves projects that bring people together and partnerships that bring young and old of different traditions together. We are determined to build a better future for this island, but we cannot gloss over the divisions of our past. The legacy of the violence of the Troubles has left behind enduring and immense pain. For far too long, too many families have been denied truth, accountability and justice. This Government has worked tirelessly as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement with the British Government on this issue. In September, we agreed a historic joint framework on addressing the legacy of the Troubles. This was the culmination of months of intense negotiations between an Tánaiste and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The framework provides for root and branch reform of the mechanisms to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and across this island. It reflects the desire of both Governments to move forward on legacy. It is a return to an approach of partnership on Northern Ireland. That is only right, given our shared responsibilities as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, and it is one illustration of how we are ensuring that the reset in Ireland-UK relations is including and delivering for the people of Northern Ireland. It is also an affirmation of this Government's responsibilities. We will facilitate the fullest possible co-operation with the reformed legacy commission. To do so, a dedicated legacy unit will be established in An Garda Síochána. We will receive reciprocal co-operation from the British Government on Troubles-related inquiries, inquests and investigations in this jurisdiction. The Government will provide €25 million in funding to ensure the participation and representation of victims and families in the work of the UK's legacy commission. The Government is working at pace to ensure that, right now, we are examining the Westminster legislation on legacy to ensure that it conforms to that joint framework.

As we chart a new path forward with the British Government on legacy, we will continue to be guided by our two key tests, that is, the need for compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, which is woven directly into the fabric of the Good Friday Agreement, and the need to command the confidence of the victims' families. Families and individuals hurt by terrorist violence may, understandably, be wary, fearful or contemptuous of whatever side changed their lives forever. We must work with them and help them.

In conclusion, I will go back to Article 3 of the Constitution, amended as part of the Good Friday Agreement, that states: "It is the firm will of the Irish nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions". The Good Friday Agreement is our compass as we chart a path to the peace and prosperity. Let us continue to focus on delivering for our people on this island.

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