Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Lord McFall of Alcluith here for this address. I am speaking on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group in the Seanad. I had the pleasure of meeting him last night and again this morning with the Parliamentary Friendship Group. It was clear from our meetings, and from having read much about him in preparation for the visit, that he has a passion for both Northern Ireland and Ireland and a clear and in-depth understanding of the challenges our island faces both North and South. His work in the Northern Ireland office, and his being on the ground so shortly after the Omagh bombing, is a tribute and testament to his character and to his commitment to resolving the ongoing issues we face.

I have reflected on his comments this morning on the loss of institutional knowledge, whereby those who were there almost 25 years ago when the Good Friday Agreement was signed are no longer working at the forefront of these challenging issues. That is a very important point. There is much knowledge and expertise that we are not drawing to the extent that we could. He referred to Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Martin Mansergh and others, and there is scope to bring those people back to work on this issue because they have knowledge and expertise to offer.

The British Embassy did great work in organising Lord McFall of Alcluith's trip here and in working with all of us. It has done a remarkable job, amid testing times over the past six years, of maintaining that dialogue and connection between our two countries. It has done much behind-the-scenes work, which is often not seen but is very important.

Lord McFall of Alcluith mentioned earlier that he has removed his armour as a politician and is now a "facilitator". He is not overtly political but, obviously, in his heart, he has political views he still holds. Brexit is still a key issue for us, even if other issues have overshadowed it in recent years, such as the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine. I take great solace in the reigniting of discussions, such as was seen in the recent call between the UK Foreign Secretary, Mr. James Cleverly, and Maroš Šefovi on 30 September. Things are moving again, and there has been commentary that the mood music and the tone of the British Government has changed. That is to be welcomed and we want to work towards a solution. The comments following that phone call indicated we had to bring predictability and certainty to Brexit, which is what the Northern Ireland protocol is all about.

One item of legislation that is working its way through the British Parliament is the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill. We have great difficulties with it, although I know the House of Lords will do its best to analyse that and provide scrutiny of the legislation. Other legislation relates to legacy issues, as our House Leader mentioned, which are very important to us. There are few issues where all of us on this island absolutely agree, but on that issue and that legislation we are united in our opposition and we reiterate that point in the strongest possible way.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, an event on which we all have our own views as to how we should mark, it is important to acknowledge we have come a long way but the peace is in progress. It is never complete and it must be maintained and protected. We can never take it for granted.

I thank Lord McFall of Alcluith for being the first Lord Speaker to come to this House, although he will probably not be the last. I am sure he has set a precedent. I also thank our Cathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, for making the arrangements for this sitting.