Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. I extend my best wishes to the former deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness. I acknowledge Mr. McGuinness's contribution to the peace process and his commitment to the institutions when they were established. I will not claim he and I have sung from the same hymn sheet at all times, as that was certainly not the case, but it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the major contribution he made. I extend my best wishes to him as he fights his current illness and wish him and his family many years of good health and happiness.It would also be remiss of me to fail to mention his replacement, Michelle O'Neill, a good Tyrone lady. I wish her well in her position.

One must note that the timing of the Executive collapse could probably not have been worse. We are facing into Brexit with all the unknowns and uncertainties that brings. If we ever needed an Executive to be up and running and singing from the same hymn sheet, it is now. Unfortunately, that is not the case and we are going to be in a state of limbo for quite some time until the elections are concluded. Hopefully, an Executive will be formed sooner rather than later. We are all aware of why the Executive failed. Ms Foster should take note of the situation we now find ourselves in. If she had taken the advice that was given to her in good faith by all concerned, she would have stood aside until a proper investigation had been conducted into the renewable heat scheme. Perhaps we would not then be in the abyss we are today.

The election will come and go and we will find ourselves back in the same position again. There will then be an onus on all parties, particularly the two major parties which have left the Assembly and which will no doubt come back in the same proportions, to redouble efforts to ensure the institutions in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement are properly worked on and are a success. There is also an onus on the Irish and British Governments to ensure that the institutions in Northern Ireland are nourished and continue to run in a successful manner. I find sometimes that the Dublin media in particular ignores Northern Ireland, except when there is a crisis such as the current one. All of a sudden, there is a clatter to discuss and expose Northern Ireland at that point in time. There is an onus on all of us to work to ensure that we nurture and protect the peace process on which a lot of people have worked very hard and even lost their lives to get to for the benefit of the entire island.

That leads us to Brexit. There is no part of this island that will be more affected by Brexit than the North of the country. Coming as I do from a Border county, I note the genuine fear among people of what the future will look like. It appears the London Government has very little sympathy for the plight of the citizens of Northern Ireland and, perhaps, the citizens of Northern Ireland should take note of that. Until such time as the Executive in Northern Ireland is up and running again, we are in a bit of an abyss.

I express the sincere hope that the election will not be too bitter and that all parties will stand back if it starts to develop into a slanging match. That is a temptation, but hopefully it will not happen and the elections will conclude and an Executive formed as a matter of urgency. That will allow us to get down to the real business of addressing the massive obstacle before us of Brexit. I hope we can all work together on this island to ensure that we get the best possible deal from Brexit.