Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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27. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if consideration has been given to the need for new formal structures for dialogue to be established between the Irish and British Governments in view of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18553/17]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In light of Britain's decision to leave the European Union and the moving of the formal letter, has the Government given consideration to the need for new formal structures for dialogue to be established between Ireland and Britain and indeed, between the Irish and British Governments? Can the Minister outline whether any discussions or preparations are in train at this early stage?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has a strong and constructive relationship with the United Kingdom and with our EU partners and we are fully committed to maintaining both in the new set of circumstances which will emerge once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

There are numerous channels for Irish-British engagement and both Governments are making extensive and effective use of them. Some of these fora were developed in the context of the Good Friday Agreement and some of them were established more recently or have evolved and developed over the years to reflect the close relationship between these islands. They all will be used to the full, not least given the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

These channels include the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, the British-Irish Council, the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and a formal process established in 2012 involving summits between the Taoiseach and the UK Prime Minister, supported by a joint work programme managed at official level by the heads of all Departments in both Dublin and London.

At political level, there are ongoing and frequent contacts across all policy areas. In addition to regular meetings the Taoiseach and I would have with our counterparts, Government colleagues meeting their UK counterparts recently have included the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for Education and Skills.

In terms of our diplomatic resources, our embassy in London is and will remain our largest bilateral embassy in the world. In fact, given the UK exit from the European Union and with a view towards helping to strengthen bilateral links in a post-Brexit context, two additional diplomatic officers have been assigned to the embassy in London. We also have a consulate general in Edinburgh, for which I approved an additional diplomat in 2015, while the footprint of our trade, tourism and investment agencies in Britain is and will continue to be significant.

Regarding formal structures, the next summit of the British-Irish Council, BIC, is scheduled to take place in Northern Ireland in June of this year, with the previous meeting having taken place in Cardiff in November last. BIC meetings such as these provide Ireland with valuable opportunities to engage with devolved Administrations in the UK, while there are 12 specific work sectors being addressed at ministerial and official level all year round. The summit meetings since the UK referendum have also included specific sessions on Brexit, in doing so, reflecting a capacity for flexibility in issues being discussed at them.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

In terms of individual devolved Administrations, I point to the fact that the Irish Government has taken particular care to maintain close contacts with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, with the First Minister, Ms Sturgeon, visiting Dublin in November 2016 and the Taoiseach meeting the Welsh First Minister, Mr. Carwyn Jones, in Cardiff last month.

The formal structures also include the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, which comes within the architecture of the Good Friday Agreement and whose function is to bring together the British and Irish Governments to promote bilateral co-operation at all levels on all matters of mutual interest within the competence of both Governments.

The conference has traditionally focused on issues of mutual concern relating to Northern Ireland where its remit is non-devolved matters, that is, those which are reserved to the British Government and Westminster rather than the Northern Ireland Executive and assembly. As the scope of non-devolved matters in Northern Ireland has become quite narrow over recent years, there has been no business need for the conference to meet at political level. However, its secretariat – made up of Irish and British civil servants - continues to be an important day-to-day channel of contact between both Governments and the Irish officials assigned to the secretariat constitute the Irish Government presence in Belfast.

Parliamentary links are also vitally important and will be more crucial than ever once the UK departs from the EU. I myself will be delivering an address at the next plenary meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, to be held in Kilkenny in May 2017. This Assembly and its committees meet regularly to examine areas of shared importance across the member jurisdictions - Ireland, the UK, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and what are known as the Crown dependencies - and this includes Brexit. I am also heartened by the regular interaction between other parliamentary committees, which is to be welcomed and encouraged as the withdrawal process continues.

Overall, as Deputies can see from what I have set out, there are extensive arrangements for dialogue with Britain - including ones which offer flexibility in terms of management and policy focus. We will, of course, keep matters under review, including as the details of the UK's new relationship with the EU emerge in the period ahead.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I am quite disappointed with the Minister's response.

Our shared membership of the Union has given both countries a space to build and consolidate trust and to work in a formal way but with Britain's exit, that is at risk. That is why I and my party fundamentally believe that a new Irish-British agreement dealing with matters other than the peace settlement will be required. I do not believe that the mechanisms under the Good Friday Agreement are sufficient. It is clear that with Brexit, it is not business as usual and we cannot go on with this idea that it is. A new British-Irish agreement would be a way of strengthening the links between our countries, in particular, consolidating the links North and South.

From the Minister's answer, the sum total of our response appears to have been the appointment of two additional diplomats in London. That is simply not sufficient.

It shows a lack of vision and a lack of desire to prioritise the relationship between the two countries and consolidate the Good Friday Agreement. We need more than this. We need more than a British-Irish Council and a British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. We need a desire on the part of this Government to stand up for its citizens.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am not quite sure what new formal institutions the Deputy wishes to see. I again make it quite clear that the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union and the negotiations that are about to commence must take full account of and show the fullest of respect to all the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement. On the basis of our intensive political and diplomatic engagement over the past year, we have received very heartening support from our EU partners in this regard and are now about to pursue these through the formal negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom. We have not been in negotiations with the United Kingdom; we have had discussions. Now we will be in a position to engage through the European Union in the context of the formal negotiations. We will not sell the Good Friday Agreement short. We will not engage in any renegotiation of the Good Friday Agreement in response to the British policy of Brexit. The legal and political obligations of both the Irish and British Governments under the Good Friday Agreement remain unchanged, and this will continue-----

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister will have another minute to respond.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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-----regardless of the status of the UK within the European Union.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I am sorry to interrupt the Minister.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is missing the point. The mechanisms in place under the Good Friday Agreement have not been utilised over the past five, six or seven years to their full potential and we need to consider adding to them. The most recent summit of the British-Irish Council was held in Cardiff in November 2016. The next one will take place in the North of Ireland in June 2017. It is too loose. We need to consider strengthening these ties post-Brexit but plan for it now. This is not part of the Brexit negotiations. It is a matter of seeking to underpin the Good Friday Agreement and moving on further from it in consideration of what is a potential reality of a future reunification of this country and this island. We cannot just stand still. This Government and the previous one have approached the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement in a very lackadaisical, laissez-faireway. Has Government given any consideration to the establishment of new formal structures for dialogue between Ireland and Britain, and the North and the South?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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There are a number of parliamentary structures in which the Deputy himself is involved, for example, the North-South interparliamentary tier and the British-Irish interparliamentary group, which I understand will meet shortly in Kilkenny. I hope to have the opportunity to address that body. I acknowledge the valuable work done by the British-Irish Council, a body referred to by the Deputy, specifically the valuable work it has done over the past year providing a most positive and helpful forum for discussions on Brexit.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Two meetings in six months.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Taoiseach is in attendance at all times. I believe the use of these bodies will now intensify as the negotiations between the UK and the European Union commence. I acknowledge the importance of the North-South Ministerial Council, which of course cannot meet-----

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Which has met 26 times-----

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I call the Minister, without interruption.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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-----at present because of the absence of an Executive in Northern Ireland.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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We have given no consideration-----

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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We will move on to Question No. 38.