Written answers

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Good Friday Agreement

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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45. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on the efforts his Department is making to maintain and strengthen the Good Friday Agreement. [13878/17]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Government’s firm position is that the Good Friday Agreement and the successor Agreements must be implemented in full, and this is reflected in the Programme for Partnership Government. The 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. The Government will continue to work tirelessly for that full implementation in both letter and spirit.

While this commitment is something which is very much part of the daily work of my own – and indeed many other Departments, there are two significant challenges which are specific priorities at the moment: the talks in Belfast and the impact of Brexit.

I have already reported to the House on the talks process in Belfast, in which I am representing the Government, aimed at implementing outstanding commitments from previous Agreements and supporting the formation of a new power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland.

I have spoken before about the interlocking institutions being at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement. The devolved institutions are the lifeblood within the Agreement and the Government will spare no effort in working to support their re-establishment. I know that all members in this House share our objective in this regard.

In the context of the two year Brexit process having been triggered, an effective Northern Ireland Executive is vital so that Northern Ireland can directly engage with the challenges arising from the UK withdrawal from the EU. Devolution is also necessary for the operation of the North South institutions under the Good Friday Agreement.

Cooperation on our island has always been important but it is crucial in the context of Brexit. The role of the North South Ministerial Council will be central in the months and years ahead and I look forward to the resumption of its work, immediately following formation of an Executive in Northern Ireland.

I very much hope that the necessary agreement between the parties will be reached on formation of the Executive as soon as possible, so that it can directly represent the interests of the people of Northern Ireland in the context of the UK’s departure from the European Union. While there is no substitute for direct representation of Northern Ireland’s interests by an Executive, the Government has of course sought to protect the interests of the island as whole in its extensive preparatory work on Brexit.

On the basis of our continuing intensive political and diplomatic engagement with every EU Member State and the EU Institutions, I am greatly heartened by the solidarity and support that our EU partners have shown for the imperative of protecting the peace process on our island, founded on the Good Friday Agreement. The Government will continue to do all it can to ensure that all provisions of the Good Friday Agreement are recognised and understood in the EU-UK negotiations process and respected and upheld in the final outcome.

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