Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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82. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with Mr. Philip Hammond on 31 August 2017. [39030/17]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Taoiseach if he has spoken to Prime Minister May since Sinn Féin rejected the proposal for a pathway for talks to enable Stormont to be reconvened within a certain timeframe. [39092/17]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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114. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his visit to Northern Ireland recently; and the meetings he attended. [39093/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 113 and 114 together.

I undertook my first official visit to Belfast as Taoiseach on 4 and 5 August last.

I had a number of engagements during my visit, including giving a keynote address in Queens University on the "Future of Relationships North and South". I also hosted a lunch with leading business leaders from Northern Ireland during the visit.

My visit provided a useful opportunity for me to meet with leaders of most of the political parties in Northern Ireland to discuss the ongoing political situation there. We discussed the need for all parties to continue to make every effort to get the institutions of the Agreement up and running again as soon as possible and how we can work together to address the challenges facing Northern Ireland.

I also attended the Official Pride Breakfast in Belfast before concluding my visit.

I spoke by phone with Prime Minister May most recently on June 27 when we discussed the ongoing talks process in Northern Ireland and our strong commitment to supporting the peace process as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. We agreed to continue to work together to support the parties in reaching agreement to allow the re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive and the need to have all of the institutions under the Agreement up and running to ensure ongoing protection of the peace process. I re-iterated the Irish Government's support for an Irish Language Act, as provided for in the St Andrews Agreement, and the need for balance and respect between the parties. I am due to meet with Prime Minister May again in London next Monday, when I expect we will again talk about the situation in Northern Ireland and, of course, Brexit.

I met with the British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond during his recent visit to Dublin on 31 August. We spoke about the serious issues arising as the UK negotiates its departure from the European Union. I underlined to the Chancellor the importance of making sufficient progress on the phase one issues currently under discussion, namely citizens’ rights, financial matters, and of course, the unique Irish issues. I made clear the Government’s objective that there should be no new impediments to the all-island economy which has been able to develop over the last two decades and which is a gain of the peace process that benefits communities across the island.