Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. In opening the debate, the Tánaiste referred to parity of esteem. That is, of course, from the two governments who affirmed the importance of the principle of just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities. As a guarantor of the agreement, one cannot say today that there is fairness, proportionality and reasonableness. I appreciate that the Government, as a guarantor of the agreement, has to act in a measured and constructive way but we are currently at a protracted impasse in Northern Ireland, which stands in sharp contrast to the meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in County Kildare a few days ago. That east-west strand on the island was very constructive and positive. I met John Taylor, a staunch unionist member of the House of Lords. Something is fundamentally broken in Northern Ireland at the moment. How long ought it stay broken?

I do not expect the Government to outline its plans. Plan B, if one said it in the wrong way, could be inflammatory. Can the Government assure us that there is a plan B and that one party cannot cause this near-permanent paralysis and stagnation of a democratically enshrined agreement that was working? A former leader of the Minister of State's party spoke in the 1980s of Northern Ireland as a failed political entity, and so it was before the Good Friday Agreement. There was, and still is, hope. Why should one group of politicians block other politicians from doing their job and representing the people who elected them? The people lose out.

The veto system has outgrown its usefulness. I appreciate it might not be the appropriate time to amend it, but one party in Northern cannot pull the plug and stop politics from working. While advancements are being made in the Republic with nature and biodiversity measures, the lack of an executive in the North has hindered the response to serious issues like Lough Neagh. Our nature does not see or recognise borders. We must restart co-operation between North and South to ensure we do not do irreversible damage to our land and water. We must make sure that the structures for protecting the environment are equally robust in both jurisdictions. Some €11 million has been allocated for the all-Ireland biodiversity actions on peatlands restoration and biosecurity through the shared island initiative. Is this being progressed, given the current stalemate caused by the unilateral action of one party?

In the absence of an executive, we can at least progress the cross-Border and all-island community climate action initiatives that have been allocated €3 million. This funding is to support local authorities to step up climate action, including nature recovery networks, farming for nature, just transition, improving land use and water quality, peatland restoration, renewable energy solutions and flood forecasting. Can the Tánaiste update us on initiatives that local authorities have been implementing under this strand? We need to end this impasse for the sake of the people, the planet and jobs.

Only today, a presentation was made to us by the European Movement in Ireland at the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. It has opinion poll results, the methodology of which is as fair as it can be. We have to take opinion polls with a slight health warning. Notwithstanding that, in response to the question, "Since Brexit, do you think Northern Ireland in overall terms is better or worse?", 66% of those polled in a professional online poll system - polls before the Good Friday Agreement were not that reliable for obvious reasons - a larger majority than those in Northern Ireland who voted to remain in the EU said it was doing worse. In response to the question, "Do you think that Northern Ireland should have representatives who would sit as MEPs in the European Parliament?", 74% of those in Northern Ireland said they want a voice in Europe. That voice is needed now more than ever before because devolution is not working.

There is no government in Northern Ireland. I do not wish the Minister of State to go into specifics of plan B, but are we pushing for a voice for Northern Ireland in the European Parliament? We have to think outside of the box about how that happens. Where there is a will, there is a way. There is a vacuum. The good people of Northern Ireland do not have a voice in Europe at the moment. We have done our best and are facilitating them in different committee meetings and there are informal contacts. Commissioner Mairéad McGuinness and others are doing their best, but the people of Northern Ireland have no formal voice in Europe.

It is the best of both worlds, but in one of those worlds the people of Northern Ireland do not have a formal voice. They do not have a formal voice in Belfast because there is no government at the moment. I am trying to progress a Bill through this House, which passed Committee Stage, to ban the importation of non-native honeybees in the 26-county Republic because they will hybridise the dark native bee. Ireland is one of its last strongholds in Europe. This is just one example, but it is a good example of how we need joined up thinking when it comes to protecting our environment.

I am at an advanced stage and trying to publish a Bill for consideration by Members of the House that will look at the safe disposal of the carcinogenic substance formaldehyde used in embalming. Again, unless there is joined-up thinking on the island of Ireland, it will not have an effect. The environment and people will lose because one party has decided that at the moment it does not want to go into power. I appreciate the encouraging remarks of Jeffrey Donaldson at a recent conference. I am not into the explicit politics of deadlines; that does not work in Northern Ireland. Do we have a plan B? I think it is a fair question to ask. Can what is happening stop everything forever and kill off and bury the Good Friday Agreement, which is against the will of the people on the island of Ireland? Can we stand up as a Government, along with Great Britain, to ensure that the people of Ireland north of the Border have a voice and proper working politics?