Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is great to hear the rallying call of the civil rights movement, "we shall overcome", live on.

This morning, I want to call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs to come to the House next week to update us on developments in the North, which we hope are going to accelerate over the weekend with the restoration of Stormont. However, there are aspects of the command paper that was released yesterday that need further attention. The statutory instruments are being laid before Westminster today, and they provide statutory assurance that Northern Ireland remains an integral part of the United Kingdom, and on its place in the UK. There are also other parts to it regarding adjustments to the Windsor Framework that we need to get under the hood of.

There is also a reference to the full and complete repeal of all statutory duties when it comes to an all-island economy. Our all-island economy is flourishing. It is doing very well post Brexit. It is worth approximately €12 billion. I believe that the path of least resistance is the path that businesses follow, and that they will continue to excel, but it is very important that we have positive co-operation on an all-island and east-west basis. I would like the opportunity to discuss what that means. Other aspects had more technical references that we need to unpick so I urge the Deputy Leader to encourage the Minister to come here next week. If it waits until the following week, it is going to be too late.