Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday morning I attended breakfast at a fringe event of the Conservative Party conference, while a week before I was at a breakfast for a fringe event of the British Labour Party conference. I was very concerned to hear statements that the Good Friday Agreement could be changed. The Irish Government will stand up for the Good Friday Agreement and it is not up for negotiation. We want a good result in the Brexit negotiations and we look forward to proposals being put forward by the United Kingdom in the coming weeks. However, it is a very difficult time and I hope the negotiators on all sides can come up with some solution.

An issue concerning the Irish diaspora was raised with me. There is talk of a relief road just off junction 6 of the M42, close to Páirc na hÉireann in Birmingham. This will cause huge problems to the Warwickshire county board. It has gathered 12,000 signatures and I ask the Irish Embassy and Minister for Foreign Affairs to liaise with their UK counterparts to ensure these people have a voice in this matter. They are very concerned but they are hopeful that a solution will be identified. My good friend and colleague Conor McGinn, the Labour Party MP for St. Helens North and chair of the all-party group of the Irish in Britain, has asked me to raise it. I wish to show some solidarity with our colleagues in the UK and hope a solution will be found so that Páirc na hÉireann will not be impacted by these proposed works.