Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach is most welcome. I will begin by addressing the UK's Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, which is the one issue on this island that unites all in opposition to it. This Act should look after victims and their families. They should be front and centre of that legislation but the complete opposite is the case. In regard to a case before the European Court of Human Rights I believe the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste are currently looking at legal opinion. I wish to impress upon the Taoiseach the urgency of this case. If ever there was an opportunity for us as a southern Government to demonstrate our interests and the interests of all the people of Northern Ireland, this is it. Many outside bodies throughout the UK are also against this legislation, as is the European Commission of Human Rights. Many representatives in the USA have spoken up about it also. It is right that the Government acts as quickly as possible. I hope the Taoiseach and the Government make deliberations and duly act on that.

I also wish to address a matter that has become common within political circles and elsewhere and that is the discussion about Northern Ireland and Irish unity. I am reminded of an interview between Patrick Kielty and Tommy Tiernan where Patrick Kielty talked about how people nowadays like to sing republican songs about a united Ireland, but are not prepared to not sing them to achieve it. The same can apply to politicians. We are all very good at talking about a united Ireland but we are not sufficiently invested actually to have engagement with communities in Northern Ireland, in particular unionist communities, to build up relationships that existed 25 years ago. We learned a great deal in the past year, on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, about how hard the peace was won, how hard the Good Friday Agreement was to achieve and about the decades of work that preceded that. It is fair to say that since 2016, North-South relations are not as good as they used to be. I implore the Taoiseach to make an all-out effort to start building relations in Northern Ireland again. It is critical for the people in Northern Ireland that the Assembly sits. The Government needs to go on an all-out effort to make sure that happens.