Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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176. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of his discussions to date with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and with the political parties represented in the Northern Ireland Assembly regarding the urgent need to restore the Northern Ireland Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14545/17]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the particular challenges and difficulties arising for all of the island due to Brexit are part of the discussions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and with the political parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly regarding the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14547/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 178 together.

Following the Assembly election, I spoke on 5 March with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the Taoiseach spoke with Prime Minister May. Both Governments agreed on the need for intensive engagement to address outstanding issues and commitments to ensure the early establishment of an Executive.

As co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, both Governments have a role to play in supporting the effective operation of the devolved institutions, and in upholding both the letter and the spirit of the Agreement as a whole, in the interests of all in Northern Ireland.

In this context I am representing the Government in the ongoing talks at Stormont Castle. The discussions are focused on addressing outstanding issues, including the implementation of past agreements and addressing the legacy of the past, as well as on the formation of a new power-sharing Executive. Both parts of these discussions are essential and inter-dependent.

All parties have shown a willingness to engage on the key issues. However, there is a limited timeframe for the formation of a new Executive. In the time remaining, all sides, including the two Governments and the parties, will have to work hard and with a spirit of compromise, to achieve the collective objective of re-establishing the power-sharing institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.

Particular responsibilities attach to the parties who are entitled to nominate a First Minister and deputy First Minister to engage with each other, and to advance discussions with the other political parties, on the formation of a new Executive.

As part of my engagement with the Secretary of State and with each of the parties in the current discussions, I have emphasised the critical importance of forming a new Executive so that Northern Ireland’s interests can be represented as effectively as possible in the preparations for the EU-UK negotiations. I very much hope that the new Executive will be in place as soon as possible so that it can directly represent the interests of the people of Northern Ireland in these vital negotiations.

The interests of the island as a whole and protecting the gains of the peace process will remain a priority for the Government in the upcoming EU-UK negotiations and the Government will continue to be proactive in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland, including through engagement with the Northern Ireland parties. The Government’s All-Island Civic Dialogue is also a central strand of our approach to preparing for and managing Brexit.

I expect to be intensively engaged this week in Belfast, working with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the political parties to see the power-sharing Assembly and Executive restored to effective and harmonious operation. As a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement the Government is determined to uphold the principles of the Agreement and to protect its institutions.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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177. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the recent concerns expressed by the Council of Europe regarding the lack of progress in approving Acht na Gaeilge in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14546/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Good Friday Agreement recognised the importance of respect, understanding, and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, including in Northern Ireland, the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities.

The Irish Government ratified the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities in 1999 further to the commitment to do so under the Good Friday Agreement. The UK Government had previously ratified the Convention.

The Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities published its Fourth Opinion on the United Kingdom on 9 March 2017. The Advisory Committee made a number of observations and recommendations in relation to the status and protection of the Irish language in Northern Ireland, which relate to provisions of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent Agreements.

The Committee’s recommendations include the adoption of appropriate legislation by the Northern Ireland Assembly as a necessity to protect and promote the Irish language. The Committee also called on the UK Government to help create the political consensus needed for such adoption. The Committee made further recommendations in relation to support for Irish-medium education, Irish language teaching and shared education in Northern Ireland. The Committee also made a recommendation on funding under the BBC Charter for programming in minority languages, in particular the Irish language.

The Council of Europe Advisory Committee report is a welcome and timely contribution to the current discussions on ensuring respect for linguistic diversity and the Irish language in Northern Ireland, consistent with the principles of the Good Friday Agreement.

Further to the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, a specific commitment to an Irish Language Act in Northern Ireland to be enacted by the British Government was part of the St Andrews Agreement in 2006. Successive Irish Governments have advocated in favour of an Irish Language Act and continue to do so. Regrettably to date, there has been no agreement within the Northern Ireland Executive to take forward what is now a devolved matter.

As part of the outstanding commitments under previous Agreements, the question of an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland was discussed on several occasions during the Stormont House negotiations in late 2014. While I and other Irish Government representatives advocated for this commitment being honoured and implemented, regrettably it was not possible to reach agreement for such an explicit undertaking. Nevertheless, in the text of the final Stormont House Agreement, the Government and the British Government, recalling the commitments from previous Agreements, endorsed the need for respect for and recognition of the Irish language in Northern Ireland.

The Stormont House Agreement provides for regular review meetings with the participation of the Government, the British Government and the Executive party leaders. At the last two Review Meetings – most recently in December – I had the opportunity to draw attention to these outstanding commitments, including in relation to the Irish language, and asked that they remain on the agenda for future review meetings.

As part of the current talks process in Northern Ireland, I have engaged in discussions with the British Government and the main political parties on outstanding commitments and the implementation of past agreements. In relation to the Irish language in my discussions with the British Government and each of the parties, I have noted clearly the Government’s support for a statutory basis for the Irish language in Northern Ireland, consistent with our support for an Irish Language Act over many years.

The Government will continue to support the Irish language on an all-island basis, including through financial support for the work of Foras na Gaeilge. The Government will continue to work with the British Government and the political parties in Northern Ireland to seek the full implementation of all provisions of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent Agreements, including those relating to the Irish language.