Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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28. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his recent meeting with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8547/17]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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51. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his meeting with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire, in Dublin on 15 February 2017; if he raised concerns over the British Government’s approach to Brexit and the way it might violate the Good Friday Agreement; if he discussed ensuring that Northern Ireland receives special designated status in the EU; and if he raised concerns surrounding the British Government’s unhelpful approach to legacy issues. [8687/17]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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53. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on any contacts he has had with the leaders of parties in Northern Ireland and the British Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8765/17]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has covered some of this. I want to ask him to report on his recent meeting with the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire. Will the Minister bring us up to date on that? It was the subject of a priority question earlier and that is why it was not grouped. Was the matter of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings raised with the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland? The Minister has mentioned other items and has put information on the record of the House. Could we stick specifically to that item for the purpose of this response?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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3 o’clock

I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 51 to 53, inclusive, together.

I wish to apprise the House of my meeting with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, on 14 February. I did deal with the issue of Brexit, particulars of which we probably have already discussed.

On the current political situation in Northern Ireland, the Secretary of State and I shared the view that it was of the utmost importance that the conditions would be in place for a power-sharing Executive to be established as soon as possible following the Assembly elections next month. I emphasised to the Secretary of State that as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, both Governments had a role to play in supporting the effective operation of the devolved institutions and in upholding both the letter and the spirit of the agreement as a whole.

I also discussed with the Secretary of State last week the imperative of dealing with the range of issues related to the legacy of the Troubles in a way that meets the needs and expectations of victims and survivors and of wider society through the comprehensive legacy framework provided for under the Stormont House Agreement. I reiterated my determination that this be established at the earliest opportunity.

Regarding engagement with the political parties in Northern Ireland, I have in recent months been in regular contact with the leaders of each of the main parties as the crisis in the Executive has deepened. I met last month with the DUP leader, Arlene Foster, a Sinn Féin delegation led by Martin McGuinness and spoke by phone to the leaders of the SDLP, UUP and Alliance Party. I also had the chance to hear from and engage with members of Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party at last week's civic dialogue plenary meeting in Dublin Castle and at the successful sectoral dialogue on human rights in Maynooth university last week. The Taoiseach has also been actively engaged and was in direct contact with the British Prime Minister, as well as with the leaders of both the DUP and Sinn Féin.

I have agreed with the Secretary of State that both Governments should continue to work closely together in the weeks to come, looking ahead to the post-election period when a new power-sharing Executive will need to be formed. We have also urged the parties to conduct their election campaigns in a calm and respectful way, conscious that polarising rhetoric and frayed relationships will damage the prospects of forming an Executive after the votes have been counted and the results announced.

We must all be mindful that effective devolved Government, underpinned by a genuine spirit of partnership, is what the people of Northern Ireland voted for in 1998 and what they expect their politicians to deliver. After the election, it will therefore fall to the parties to form a power-sharing Executive, and this will require the parties to find a way forward on issues which contributed to the calling of the election in the first instance. The Government is always ready to support and assist the parties in any way we can. Our commitment as a co-guarantor of the agreement is a constant one.

I assure Deputy Darragh O'Brien that I specifically raised the issue of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. I acknowledge the fact I go to these talks, discussions and meetings fully armed and conscious of the Dáil motions on this issue that have been passed, in particular the motion of 25 May last year following 42nd anniversary of the bombings on 17 May. I assure the Deputy that I will continue to raise this issue. I will continue to engage directly on the matter of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and pursue all possible avenues to achieve progress on this issue, consistent with the mandate given to me being in the form of a request by the Dáil. I hope we can bring some measure of closure to this. I have not only raised and discussed this issue regularly with the Secretary of State since his appointment last summer but I can tell the House that there have been regular meetings at official level between my officials and the officials of the Secretary of State with a view towards coming back with an element of progress that I am sure everybody in the House wishes to see advanced.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I will take supplementaries from the Members present who tabled questions to which the Minister can give a composite response.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for that update and also for raising the matter of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. While we have many issues to discuss with our British and European counterparts, it is important these items do not go off the agenda. I, too, along with my party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, met James Brokenshire just over two weeks ago. We have restated to the British, as I am sure the Minister has, that there will be no parallel bilateral negotiations with Britain post the lodging of the Article 50 letter.

I also stated to James Brokenshire my party's belief, and that of the Dáil, that Northern Ireland should be afforded special status as part of any arrangement, that this should be the negotiating position of the Irish Government, and that the British Government should advocate for the same. The British have rejected that and, unfortunately, the Minister also rejected it. Following a vote on a Sinn Féin motion, however, which was amended by Fianna Fail and supported by others and which was carried in the Dáil last week, has the Minister since advised the British of that Dáil vote and that it is the view of the majority of the Members of Dáil Éireann that, at the very least, our negotiation position should be that Northern Ireland should be afforded special status and that we advocate for the hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens who will remain outside the European Union post Brexit?

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I am primarily interested in finding out if the Minister raised concerns over the British Government's approach to Brexit and how it will impact and potentially violate the Good Friday Agreement, particularly with the North being forced to leave the EU against the express wishes of its people, and that it will also represent a major setback for the political process in the North. While I am conscious that the Minister mentioned the needs of victims and referred to the three motions relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings that were passed in the Parliament, did he talk to the Secretary of State about his comments on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday when he sought to justify the impunity conferred on British state forces during the conflict and stated that investigations into the killings during the Troubles are disproportionately focusing on members of the police and army? Did the Minister outline that those remarks were completely unacceptable? Is he aware that members of those representing the victims of the McGurk's Bar bombing are in Leinster House today? Will he urgently raise this issue again with the British Government, given that it goes back decades?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I wish to follow up on the answers or non-answers by the Minister earlier to my raising of the issue of the Pitchford inquiry.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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They were answers.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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They were very evasive answers.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Cuir do cheist, a Theachta.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I will ask again what the Minister raised with the Secretary of State. He keeps saying he raised the concerns that we raised, but what concerns did he raise? I am not asking for him to repeat into the record the details or anything like that, but did he request the extension of the Pitchford inquiry to include Ireland? Did he ask or wonder about what on earth undercover British police officers were doing in this State? When I raised the question of the Minister making a statement on that, he suggested he had made a statement. I checked the website and in the statement about the Minister's meeting, there is no reference to the British undercover police operation here or to the Pitchford inquiry. Therefore, has the Minister made a statement like the Taoiseach said he would make after that meeting?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Deputy to check the media sources because I certainly saw reaction in the media to comments that I made following the meeting. I do not have anything to add to the fact that I was asked to raise this issue, I did raise it, I raised the concern of the Deputy and I added to that my own concern.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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What issue?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I know this is an issue the Deputy has had ample opportunity in recent weeks to raise with the designated line Minister, my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald. I can say to the House that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, has raised this directly with her counterpart, the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd. If there are any further developments I would be happy to keep the Deputy fully informed.

Deputy Crowe raised an important point. I expressed my concern at the comments of the Secretary of State, James Brokenshire. I reaffirm to the House that I am committed to the architecture set out in the Stormont House Agreement, which provides the best framework for dealing comprehensively with the legacy of the past.

There are no amnesties for prosecution provided for in the Good Friday Agreement or in any other agreement, including the Stormont House Agreement. The Government would by no means look favourably on any proposal to introduce such a measure. The rule of law, including the requirement for effective investigations of unlawful killings, must be upheld by all responsible authorities.