Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be near Balmoral tomorrow because I am going to a conference in Liverpool. I was able to get a flight from Belfast International Airport for over €100 cheaper that from Dublin. That is not always the case. I will not be able to visit the show but I send those involved my best wishes.

It has been 18 months since the collapse of the Government at Stormont. Some parties seem to be unable to govern together and civil servants are not allowed to govern. We are in a very difficult situation. We are looking for ways out. We visited Capitol Hill to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, thank the United States for its involvement and renew the agreement. I was struck by how important Capitol Hill, the State Department and Congress are to the island of Ireland. I am not a supporter of President Trump, but he is meeting Kim Jong-un of North Korea on 12 June. It is to be hoped that there will be a resolution. It is not how we think of diplomacy, but it is one form of it.

The fact that President Trump is coming the United Kingdom on 13 July could provide an opportunity for the State Department to talk to the two major parties in the North, namely, Sinn Féin and the DUP. I am trying to be helpful because we are operating in a silo. People need a way out. The visit of President Trump to the UK could be a way out and help people to resolve some differences. Once ones goes into a silo of people being right and wrong, it is difficult to find a resolution. The people in the North of Ireland want power-sharing at Stormont. I understand all of the complications involved but the visit of President Trump could be a catalyst towards creating a seismic moment whereby the two parties might be assisted in getting together at Stormont. That would help not just Northern Ireland but the island of Ireland and Irish-UK relations. I understand that 12 July is an important date in the North, but there could be a moment in time. The relevant departmental officials could consider where such a seismic moment might be facilitated.