Taoiseach | Recent conversation with the British Prime Minister

Question

To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent conversation with the British prime minister.

REPLY

A Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take questions 29 to 38 together.

On 10 April, I spoke by phone with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. We each acknowledged the depth and breadth of the British-Irish relationship and the value attached to it.

We discussed the positive leadership which the First Minister and deputy First Minister have shown since their appointment in February.

We also discussed Ukraine and the urgency of the situation in Gaza.

I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Sunak at the European Political Community meeting he will host in July.  

Later that day, I spoke by phone with the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

That day, 10 April, marked the anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and I underlined the importance I attach to the role of the two Governments as co-guarantors of the Agreement, and signalled my commitment to fulfilling my co-guarantor role in a positive spirit and to the full.
 
We also discussed the meeting of the North South Ministerial Council, which had taken place in Armagh two days earlier and the opportunity now, with the restoration of the Executive and Assembly, to intensify North South cooperation in areas such as healthcare, tourism, infrastructure, and innovation.

I was also pleased to visit Belfast on Friday 3 May. I had a constructive meeting with the First and deputy First Minister in Stormont Castle. We discussed a range of topics including their budget, migration, opportunities for north south cooperation, student mobility and existing Shared Island Fund commitments including the A5 and Ulster University Magee Campus.  

Following that meeting I was welcomed to Parliament Buildings by Speaker Edwin Poots, where I also had meetings with each of the other party leaders – Naomi Long, Doug Beattie and Colum Eastwood. These meetings were useful and productive covering the Northern Ireland budget, legacy and the Shared Island Youth Forum.  

On 15 April, I was also very pleased to address the 66^th plenary meeting of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly, which took place in County Wicklow on the theme of tourism.

In my remarks to the Assembly, I noted how across our islands we are fortunate to enjoy a strong tourism offering which is a major driver of growth, employment, and regional development.

I also more generally reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to working to see relationships across these islands prosper further.