Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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425. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the North-South Ministerial Council and ensure that the treaties and agreements between Ireland and the UK will be fully implemented. [10421/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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At the most recent Plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) on 18 November 2016 in Armagh the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive agreed on a number of important common principles for dealing with the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union on an all-island basis. This built on earlier commitments to work together to optimise North South planning in the phases preceding and following Brexit.

It was agreed that this work would be taken forward through continuing bilateral discussions within the NSMC at sectorial level, as well as through a high-level working group comprising senior officials from the Government and from the Northern Ireland Executive Office.

The Government hopes that as a result of the ongoing talks in Stormont, in which I am participating, a new Northern Ireland Executive will be in place shortly and that dates for the next round of NSMC meetings will be agreed as soon as possible thereafter.

The Executive is responsible for politically representing Northern Ireland’s interests, including in relation to the upcoming EU-UK negotiations. With those negotiations due to begin shortly, it is essential that Ministerial engagement through the NSMC recommences at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Government is also working to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement and the overall balance of the settlement is not in any way disturbed by the UK’s exit from the European Union. The legal and political obligations of both the Irish and British Governments under the Good Friday Agreement remain unchanged, regardless of the status of the UK within the EU, and the future EU-UK relationship. The Taoiseach and Prime Minister May have confirmed that the Agreement remains the basis for the two Governments’ approach to Northern Ireland.

The Government’s firm position is that the Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent Agreements must be implemented in full, and this is reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government. T he Agreements, and the principles and values underpinning them, are at the core of the Government’s approach to peace, reconciliation and prosperity on this island.

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. Dealing with outstanding issues from previous agreements is necessary to sustain confidence at this critical moment for devolution in Northern Ireland and, in accordance with previous agreements, this element of the discussions is being facilitated by the two Governments.

The Government views as a solemn responsibility our role and mandate as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. We have been unstinting in our efforts to uphold the principles of the Agreement and to advance the full implementation of all its provisions. The Government will continue to work with the British Government and the political parties to fulfil the full promise of the Good Friday Agreement and to advance political stability, reconciliation and economic prosperity in Northern Ireland.