Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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212. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline the schedule of upcoming meetings of the British-Irish Council. [6423/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The British-Irish Council meets primarily in two formats – bi-annual summit meetings with Heads of Administrations and work sector meetings.

The next Summit meeting is due to take place in Guernsey in July 2022, and follows the recent Summit hosted by the Welsh Government on 19 November 2021, which both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste attended.

There are eleven work sectors of the British-Irish Council and relevant Ministers meet every few years to review progress within their work sector and to agree shared priorities for the period ahead. It is anticipated that the Creative Industries and Social Inclusion work sectors will meet at Ministerial level later this year. This follows an Energy work sector Ministerial meeting which Minister Ryan attended on 4 February, in a virtual format.

Member Administrations also meet regularly at official level across the Council’s eleven work sectors, to share expertise and to collaborate on the implementation of the agreed programme of work. Officials also frequently engage with stakeholders and experts in relevant fields through talks, site visits and symposiums.

A Senior Officials Group has recently been established, to improve coordination across administrations and to drive the strategic direction of the Council. This meets on at least a six-monthly basis, or more frequently as required.