Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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177. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the implementation of the Fresh Start agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16420/16]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his proposals, to have further meetings with Members of the Northern Ireland Executive and with other parties represented in the Stormont Assembly and with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in relation to the implementation of the Fresh Start agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16421/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 178 together.

Full and timely implementation of the Fresh Start Agreement is a key priority for the Government and this is reflected by its inclusion in the new Programme for Government. The Government continues to work closely with all relevant stakeholders in this regard.

A quarterly review process, originally established under the Stormont House Agreement of December 2014, now also takes account of the Fresh Start Agreement. These review meetings track the progress on the implementation of these agreements. They are convened by the Irish and UK Governments with the appropriate participation of the political parties in Northern Ireland. The last review meeting was held on 14 January 2016 involving both the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I, as well as the leadership of the DUP, Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance. Following the completion of the election cycles, North and South, the next review meeting on the Agreements is currently being scheduled.

Overall, there has been a good start to the implementation of the Fresh Start Agreement with each administration undertaking the necessary work to fulfil its commitments.

Together with the Minister for Justice and Equality, I hosted a trilateral ministerial meeting on enhancing law enforcement co-operation on the island, as envisaged by the Fresh Start Agreement, in Farmleigh on 21 December 2015. This meeting, which included the two Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive, also launched the Joint Agency Task Force on cross-border crime.

Just before Christmas, the Executive appointed Monica McWilliams, Lord Alderdice, and John McBurney as its three-person Panel to develop a strategy on paramilitarism, as envisaged in the Fresh Start Agreement. The Panel’s report on the disbandment of paramilitary groups was published by the Northern Ireland Executive on 7 June. The Panel’s recommendations will now inform the development over the coming weeks of an Executive Strategy aimed at putting an end to the scourge of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland. In addition, the drafting of the necessary international agreement between the two Governments to establish a four person body to monitor progress on ending paramilitarism is also underway.

The Government is also meeting its financial commitments under the Fresh Start Agreement. Discussions at senior official level are underway with the Northern Ireland Executive regarding co-operation on infrastructure projects, including the A5 motorway, the Narrow Water Bridge and the Ulster Canal. The Government’s committed funding of €2.5 million to the North West Development Fund has been provided and will be matched by the Executive.

The Executive and the British Government are also proceeding with implementation of their respective commitments under the Fresh Start Agreement. The Executive signed off on the 2016-17 Budget last December and the Welfare Bill implementing the relevant provisions in the Agreement passed into UK law on 25 November 2015. The UK Treasury also recently approved the release of monies from the Stormont House Agreement funding to support integrated education.

The institutional reforms provided for under the Fresh Start Agreement have also been implemented, including the reduction in the number of Executive Ministries from 12 to 9 and the option for parties entitled to a place in the Executive to instead designate as part of the formal opposition in the Assembly. This option was taken up by both the UUP and the SDLP following last month’s election.

With regards to the establishment of a framework for dealing with the legacy of the past, as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement but on which final agreement could not be reached during last year’s Fresh Start talks, the Government remains committed to the full implementation of these commitments.

Over the last number of months, officials from my Department have met with a range of victims’ groups from across the affected communities, to hear their perspectives on how best to establish the legacy institutions and to listen to their views on possible solutions to outstanding issues. These consultations proved very valuable and will inform my approach to seeking an agreement on the outstanding crucial issues, including finding the appropriate balance between information disclosure and safeguarding national security.

Since my reappointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I have already had conversations with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and some party leaders on the urgency of now re-engaging on these outstanding issues. The recent developments in regard to the Kingsmill and Loughinisland massacres, as well as the new policing investigation being launched on the “Stakeknife” allegations, demonstrate once again how imperative it is to secure agreement on the establishment of dedicated institutions for dealing with the toxic legacy of the past.

In the weeks and months ahead, I will therefore be continuing my active engagement with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the political parties with a view to securing an overall agreement on dealing with the legacy of the past which is vital both for individual victims and survivors and for society as a whole.