Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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899. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the arrangements for the next meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20824/21]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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900. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of his recent discussions with members of the UK Government in relation to Northern Ireland with particular reference to recent violence and disturbances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20825/21]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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902. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had discussions with members of the Northern Ireland Executive and or with political parties in Northern Ireland regarding the recent violence and disturbances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20827/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 899, 900 and 902 together.

The events of recent weeks in Northern Ireland have been deeply concerning to us all. The Government has been in regular contact with the British Government throughout this period. The Taoiseach and Prime Minister Johnson spoke on the 8 April, and called for calm and dialogue. I have also been in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis, and travelled to London for a series of engagements with the British Government last week, including meetings with the Secretary of State, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Minister of State to the Cabinet office David Frost. In all of these engagements, we discussed the importance of calm, measured leadership and of our two Governments working together to support the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.

Both I and the Taoiseach have also engaged with the leaders of the political parties in Northern Ireland in recent days, to hear their perspectives on events on the ground and the way forward. Officials in my Department have also maintained regular contacts with the Northern Ireland Office.

With regard to the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, this is an important institution of the Good Friday Agreement, bringing together the Irish and British Governments under Strand Three of the Agreement on matters of mutual interest within the competence of both Governments.

It is vital that we continue to work closely on a North/South and East-West basis in support of the power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and successor agreements. The British Irish Intergovernmental Conference is an important dimension of that work and we are engaging with the British Government through the Secretariat of the BIIGC with a view to setting an early date in the period ahead for its next meeting.