Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for their contributions, guidance, advice and suggestions. I always very much value the opportunity of coming to the Seanad. I agree with Senators that we should have a more frequent and intensified engagement, our respective schedules permitting. I would be happy to explore further opportunities in this regard.

All Members acknowledge the Good Friday Agreement has secured peace on our island. The Agreement, endorsed by the people both North and South, in effect transformed relationships which had been a source of division, conflict, rancour and suffering for past generations. All parties to the Agreement have a solemn duty to ensure its full implementation, as a transformation and accord resoundingly endorsed by the people. As co-guarantor of the Agreement, the Government continues its unstinting work and application to achieve this end. I acknowledge that, with cross-party support, all Governments since 1998 have taken their obligations in this regard seriously. They have been committed to this solemn duty and obligation.

I particularly acknowledge the comments of Senators Feighan, Black, Craughwell and others on Brexit. The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union is a challenge. The Good Friday Agreement and the need for peace, stability and engagement is certainly at the heart of the Irish Government's negotiating priorities. I acknowledge in particular the remarks of Senator Craughwell. I am encouraged by what my EU ministerial colleagues continue to tell me regarding their acknowledgement, appreciation and understanding of the peace process on the island of Ireland, with particular reference to Northern Ireland, and the strains which will be imposed on this process with the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. We will continue to engage at the highest level. I am encouraged at the deep understanding of the existence, as well as the terms and conditions, of the Good Friday Agreement and the importance of ensuring they are fully adhered to in the context of the negotiations. This is a point to which I will return.

Senator Richmond is correct that one can never take peace and stability for granted. It is a work in progress. We need to ensure the process is nourished. I agree on the matter of those elements of the Good Friday Agreement and succeeding agreements which are not yet fully implemented. It is worth recalling the status of some of these in detail. The question of the bill of rights for Northern Ireland has been raised. The Good Friday Agreement provided for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to consult and advise on defining rights to reflect the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland. Over the ten-year period between 1999 and 2009, there were three processes of consultation, all engaged with strong support of the Irish Government of the day. On each occasion, regrettably, there was insufficient consensus between the parties in Northern Ireland to proceed with codifying rights specific to Northern Ireland. At the Stormont House talks in 2014, on behalf of the Irish Government, I supported a bill of rights for Northern Ireland, but, yet again, there appeared to be insufficient consensus. There was, however, a commitment by all parties to several important principles, including the promotion of a culture of tolerance, mutual respect and understanding. All parties need to continue to work to fully integrate this commitment in governance in Northern Ireland. In my view, a bill of rights, focused on specific circumstances in Northern Ireland given its history, could be a powerful symbol of commitment to a better future for all.

The North-South consultative forum is another outstanding provision that has yet to be fully complied with or addressed. In 2008, the Government sent proposals for such a forum to the Executive, but there was no reply. Between 2009 and 2011, three consultative conferences were hosted in Dublin to support the establishment of such a forum.While the issue remains on the agenda of the North-South Ministerial Council, the Northern Ireland Executive has not been able to give its assent to the setting up of the forum. At the Stormont House talks in 2014, I made a further proposal to establish the forum but the focus of the Executive parties appeared to be on other issues during those talks. There remains an undiminished obligation to implement the agreed commitment to a North-South consultative forum and the Irish Government's commitment in that regard is undiminished.

Respect for linguistic diversity and the Irish language has rightly been raised as central to the Good Friday Agreement. Indeed, it can be seen as something of a litmus test for the issue of mutual respect. Both Governments reiterated their support for this in the Stormont House agreement. An Irish language Act in Northern Ireland, to be enacted by the British Government, was provided for in the St. Andrews Agreement of 2006. Successive Irish Governments have advocated strongly in favour of this and the current Government continues to do so. However, to date there has been no agreement within the Executive to take forward what is now, in essence, a devolved matter in any event.