Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to attend the Seanad for statements on Northern Ireland, for which this is a critical week. On Sunday it became clear that there was a need for further engagement by all sides to reach agreement on the formation of a new power-sharing Executive. Yesterday Article 50 was formally invoked by the British Government. It will have profound implications for Northern Ireland, as it will for the island as a whole. I wish to outline what the Government’s approach will be in the period ahead in continuing our intensive and comprehensive work to deal with both of these major and connected issues as they affect Northern Ireland.

All of our engagement is guided by our responsibilities as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement and our stated headline priorities in dealing with the matter of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The Government’s overarching objective in all respects is, simply and fundamentally, to protect and further the peace process in Northern Ireland, living up in full to our duty as a co-guarantor of the Agreement. In the past three weeks I participated for the Government in the discussions in Belfast where the political parties and the British Government sat down to seek progress on outstanding commitments under the Agreements and support the setting up and formation of a new Executive. While there was good engagement by all parties and significant progress was made across a number of issues, in the event, an agreement on the formation of a new Executive was not reached in the timeframe set out. This is extremely disappointing, most importantly for the people of Northern Ireland who look to the Assembly for representation and governance.

I am sorry, Leas-Chathaoirleach, but I think everybody in the Seanad is on his or her phone. Is there anybody who is not?