Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Lord Speaker to our Upper House. As he said, it is an awful lot smaller and more intimate than the House of Lords but he is very welcome. It was mentioned that we held a minute's silence in the presence of the British ambassador, H.E. Mr. Paul Johnston, a number of weeks ago. I think we can all agree the outpouring of sorrow throughout the world demonstrated the enormous regard in which the British Queen was held through her 70-year reign. The nicest comment I heard came from Emmanuel Macron, when he said of the British people that she was their queen but that to the rest of us in the world, she was "the queen". I thought that was a fitting tribute.

I believe Lord McFall of Alcluith is the first Lord Speaker to hail from Scotland, a country that, as he will be well aware, is similar to our own in terms of culture, music, language, scenery and, for better or worse, the weather. Ours are both sporting nations, as he mentioned, and while Scotland might have the upper hand when it comes to football, he will not mind us gloating us a little bit when it comes to rugby because we have to have something. I am also told he has served as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on scotch whisky. Some of my colleagues here might take note. We have never had one of those here but it is a committee membership that I think people would be slightly envious of, so he might tell us more about it over lunch.

Like many of us, Lord McFall of Alcluith hails from humble beginnings, in Dumbarton, Scotland, but he has had what can only be described as an illustrious career to date. In his time at Westminster, he has been Lord Commissioner of the Treasury and was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for nine years. He was also chair of the Treasury Select Committee and senior deputy speaker of the House of Lords. He now holds the distinguished title of Lord Speaker and I am absolutely sure it is well deserved, so I congratulate him on that.

Having served in the Northern Ireland Office in the year that followed the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, he is no stranger to our island, its past and present and, I hope, its bright future. As was mentioned, he was the first British Minister to arrive in Omagh following that dreadful bombing in 1998 and he knows the political will it took to reach the Good Friday Agreement after decades of sectarian conflict and violence. He knows that previous attempts at peace resulted in deadlock, but the efforts of numerous men and women have all but secured a better future for this generation and the generations to come. He will also know, however, that a better future for Northern Ireland is not guaranteed, and that is what I would like to touch on today as the Leader of this House and the head of the Fine Gael group in the Seanad.

The British Queen's visit to Ireland, which was mentioned earlier, marked a significant high point in the relations between the United Kingdom and Ireland. While our relationship has remained strong, neighbours sometimes have disagreements. Unfortunately, as we can all agree, the recent years that have passed since the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU, which we respect, have represented a turbulent time in our relationship. The Irish Government has continuously expressed its disapproval of the British Government's Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, for example. It is unlawful and damaging and adds to the existing uncertainty in the North, especially in Border communities and the business community. We have also, particularly in this House, wholeheartedly condemned the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, which seeks to offer an amnesty to the perpetrators of heinous crimes that were carried out during the Troubles. I believe the draft legislation is reprehensible and, on the record of this House, I again urge the British Government to take the time to listen to the victims and families who are still waiting for justice. In the face of all this and of a deepening cost-of-living crisis that is not unique to any of our countries, Northern Ireland is still without a fully functioning Assembly or a new Executive following the elections in May, and we all know how regrettable that is.

While the Lord Speaker is impartial to a tee and he could not possibly remark on some of those sentiments, I know he will agree dialogue must always remain open between our countries and our Governments. He talked briefly about how important relationships are and I could not agree with him more. They are the only thing that will break that political deadlock. I thank John, our friend, for coming to address us today and look forward to spending some time with him over the course of his visit.