Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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233. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the outcome of the recent meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35525/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I was pleased to co-chair the most recent meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) held in Dublin last week, together with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis MP. also participating were my colleague the Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD, and the Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, Robin Walker MP.

The BIIGC is an important institution of the Good Friday Agreement. It was positive to see it take place for the first time since 2019, and we agreed that the Conference should meet again in November.

The Conference was established under Strand Three of the Good Friday Agreement “to promote bilateral co-operation at all levels on all matters of mutual interest within the competence of both Governments”.

East-West relations are a core part of the Good Friday Agreement. The meeting allowed for discussion of a wide and positive agenda of East-West and economic and security cooperation. We considered shared ambitions for the future of the British-Ireland relationship and looked ahead to further discussions between the Taoiseach and Prime Minister on this topic. The Conference reviewed progress made in strengthening the Common Travel Area - a keystone to the relationship between our islands – and discussed developments in relation to international travel and collaborating on recovery from the current pandemic. We were also able to discuss how we can, together, best support the stability of all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.

There were also important discussions around the need to make progress on addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland. It has been the consistent position of the Government that the Stormont House Agreement provides a balanced and comprehensive framework to address the legacy of the Troubles, and that progress on its implementation is crucial, for families and victims, and for society as a whole. The Stormont House Agreement provides the framework, but we need to engage where there are concerns about how to implement it so that we can find a collective way forward. This needs to be discussed and agreed by both Governments and the parties to the Northern Ireland Executive. It is also essential that the needs and the voices of victims and families are at the heart of this process.

As agreed at the BIIGC last week, the Government will engage and work with the British Government and the parties to the Northern Ireland Executive in partnership on this very important issue in the period immediately ahead.