Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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10. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he perceives opportunities to advance the letter and the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement in the aftermath of the visit of President Biden, and to re-energise the Good Friday Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19860/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question seeks to focus on the need for the re-energising of the Good Friday Agreement on the basis that it is a work in progress. The contributions that need to be made by all the contributors need to manifest themselves now.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I skipped a question but I will not go back to it now. We will deal with Deputy Durkan's question first.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for the motivation behind his question. The visit of President Biden in the month that we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement was indicative of wider American support for peace on this island. Throughout his visit, President Biden spoke of the importance that the United States attaches to the agreement. The Taoiseach raised the ongoing political instability in Northern Ireland with President Biden during their bilateral meeting. I raised the political situation in Northern Ireland with the congressional and cabinet delegation that travelled with the President. Moreover, during my visit to Washington DC in February, I discussed the current situation in Northern Ireland with the Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and a wide range of political and civil society contacts. During my visits to New York and Massachusetts around St. Patrick's Day, I spoke with a wide variety of business, political and community leaders.

At Queen's University Belfast last week, we heard from a number of Americans who played a vital role during the peace process including former President Bill Clinton, the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and George Mitchell who, as an independent chairman of the Northern Ireland peace talks, played a pivotal role. Throughout the commemorative events for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in which I have participated, I have always emphasised the support of the United States, the European Union and other international partners. I remain in regular contact with political representatives in Northern Ireland, reiterating the urgent need for a functioning Assembly and Executive. I am also in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with restoration of the institutions a core focus of our discussions. We will continue to work across all strands of the Good Friday Agreement in support of the devolved power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland. President Biden and the delegations took a very neutral and objective approach in their visit. As President Biden said, it is up to the parties in Northern Ireland. All of that, combined with the Good Friday Agreement commemorations, will cause people to reflect on and consider the value of the agreement and the institutions, with a view to restoring those institutions.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Tánaiste. I fully agree with and support the measures taken by the Government and by the Tánaiste in particular. There now emerges a possibility for looking again, while recognising the great input of people like Michel Barnier in Europe when the threat was Brexit. That threat still remains. A period of inertia has developed. The focus has shifted from one issue to another, including the Northern Ireland protocol and the Windsor Framework, so that there is not the focus there was. Also emerging in Northern Ireland is the clear necessity for serious focus to be placed on the principles of the Good Friday Agreement, given that the institutions in Ireland are not working or have not worked to the extent needed. However, there are opportunities for all of the co-signatories to now fill that void.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with most of what the Deputy has said. It is also important to point out that President Biden has appointed Joe Kennedy III as an economic envoy to Northern Ireland. Joe Kennedy spent a lot of time in Northern Ireland both prior to the week of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and during that week. He has had a lot of engagement with industry, business and political contacts. I met the Northern Ireland Business Brexit Working Group, which was very welcoming of the Windsor Framework. Above all, Northern Ireland needs certainty and stability to facilitate inward economic investment. All of these companies and sectors create jobs in Northern Ireland. The Windsor Framework provides an opportunity. The American support on the economic front, which has been very strongly communicated, and the support of the European Union and Maroš Šefčovič, who also attended in Belfast and to whom I pay tribute for his genuine and steadfast commitment to this issue, are also there to help economically

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Tánaiste for his further reply. At this stage, would it be opportune to engage to an even greater extent with the communities on both sides of the debate in Northern Ireland and with the institutions in a helpful, non-aggressive and non-invasive way to assure them that the principles involved in the agreement are still alive and necessary and that we must strive to ensure that a vacuum does not develop wherein speculation replaces a very hard-won agreement that was fought for over a long number of years and to which everybody contributed?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Deputy. In all of my visits to Northern Ireland and in my engagements, I have always ensured there was a community dimension to my programme. I refer particularly to meeting communities on both sides of interface locations, for example. I had a very interesting visit to Creggan and surrounding areas last year. It was striking that residents on both sides of peace walls said that they need to get to know each other better first, before any walls are taken down. The wall is the ultimate perceived barrier between the peoples and communities on both sides. It was very striking that communities in parts of Belfast I have visited are coming together through tremendous schooling and preschooling initiatives. Over time, those walls will literally melt away because the people will have engaged and come together. With the British Government, we can help to facilitate that through investment and the funding of community-based initiatives.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Táim ag dul ar ais anois go dtí ceist Uimh. 9, in ainm an Teachta Christopher O'Sullivan, atá á tógáil ag an Teachta Aindrias Moynihan.