Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Thar ceann Seanad Éireann, is mian liom fáilte ó chroí a chur roimh Ardmhéara Bhéal Feirste, an Comhairleoir Deirdre Hargey, a bhfuil cuireadh tugtha di ag Seanad Éireann an Teach a aitheasc de réir Bhuanordú 57(2) lena ndéantar foráil maidir le haitheasc ag ionadaí agus daoine sa saol poiblí agus sibhialta. On behalf of Seanad Éireann I warmly welcome the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Deirdre Hargey, who has been invited to address the House in accordance with Standing Order 57(2), which provides for addresses by representatives and persons in civic and public life. She is accompanied by the chief executive of Belfast City Council, Ms Suzanne Wylie, who I also warmly welcome to the House. I congratulate Ms Hargey on her election as Lord Mayor earlier this year and wish her well in her important role. I also congratulate her on being the first Sinn Féin female mayor of Belfast.

It is very timely for the House to hear from the Lord Mayor of Belfast in light of the current issues of mutual concern in the context of the Good Friday Agreement, including the current absence of the devolved power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and the North-South Ministerial Council, as well as the impact of Brexit on the island as a whole. I visited Belfast last week and had the pleasure of visiting Belfast City Hall, where I met the Lord Mayor and had an in-depth discussion with her on issues of mutual concern. Although we debate many topics in this House, all Members agree that the Good Friday Agreement is the indispensable framework for relations on this island. I am sure that will frame our discussion today, as it does all of our debates on Northern Ireland. The success of the Good Friday Agreement in securing peace and harnessing the opportunities of that peace for people and communities North and South is perhaps one of the greatest achievements of our time.

The challenges presented by the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union will be felt in all 27 remaining member states for many years to come and it goes without saying that the challenges for Ireland are immense. The Government remains intensely engaged on Brexit, working closely with our EU partners to ensure that the agreement and the gains and benefits of the peace process are protected and upheld in the outcome of the Article 50 negotiations with the UK, not least in ensuring that there will be no hard border on the island. These are issues of the utmost significance for our country and this House is intensely engaged on them.

In recognition of the potential consequences of the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the EU, the Seanad established a special select committee to consider the implications of the withdrawal for Ireland and to suggest some possible solutions to identifiable problems. To support its thinking and considerations, the committee organised nine days of public hearings with former taoisigh and Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Trade, sectoral experts, representatives of relevant organisations, local authorities, all-island bodies and many more. It launched a report last year in the hope that it would inform the negotiations as member states worked to manage this event that has shaken the political landscape.

Members will recall that the Tánaiste took part in statements in the House on Brexit earlier this week. We regularly consider matters pertaining to Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. This reflects the fact that while the responsibility to uphold, protect and advance the Good Friday Agreement is for the two Governments as co-guarantors of the agreement, it is also one for all political representatives and parties North and South and across these islands. Civic society, which does much to support and actualise the peace process and the task of reconciliation, also has an important role to play. Members of this House participate in the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and in the North-South Inter-Parliamentary Association as important forums for exchange provided for under the Good Friday Agreement. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement also plays an important role in considering and informing debate on the agreement and on cross-Border co-operation.

In the wider institutional and political context, it is worthwhile for the House to be addressed by the Lord Mayor, the elected leader of Belfast City Council. It would be welcome for this House to hear from representatives of other city and county councils in Northern Ireland to inform our ongoing consideration of and engagement on matters pertaining to Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. Like all local authorities, Belfast City Council has a very broad and important remit in the delivery of public services. It also plays a vital role in addressing issues that can arise at community levels in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland following on from the legacy of the Troubles. The work of the council in the area of good relations also contributes in a meaningful and direct way to the principles and objectives of the Good Friday Agreement, including the achievement of tolerance, mutual trust and reconciliation. Although the North-South Ministerial Council cannot currently meet in the absence of the power-sharing Executive, fortunately, co-operation and exchange between local authorities North and South continues, as it always has, on a practical basis and in support of local and regional economies.

B'fhéidir gur mhaith leis an Ardmhéara cuid de na seacht gceisteanna seo a lua ina óráid. Leis na focail tosaigh fáilteacha seo, is pléisiúr é dom anois cuireadh a thabhairt di Seanad Éireann a aitheasc. These are some of the issues which the Lord Mayor may wish to address in her speech. With these welcoming introductory remarks, it is my pleasures to invite her to address Seanad Éireann. I again thank her for the courteous and kind welcome she offered me in Belfast last week.