7. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent conversation with the UK Foreign Secretary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4360/25]

Sentiment score: 0.01

Will the Tánaiste report to the House on the recent conversations he has had with UK Foreign Secretary Lammy?

Sentiment score: 0.00

I intend to note at each Oral Questions session from now on the disproportionate, unbalanced and unfair priority which some parties in the House have to hold the Government to account, given the allocated amounts of time. I hope the Government and the Opposition will follow through on their words to allocate more time to people representing one of the largest groups in the House, namely, backbenchers. We have as much right to ask Priority Questions to our Ministers as anybody else in the House. I acknowledge the Tánaiste's appointment and that of the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, who was a healthy contributor on foreign affairs as a backbencher. It is great to see him in the post and I think he will have great grá for it. My interest in this question dates back to the 1997 opportunity for peace, when Northern Ireland was going to join a world of prosperity and peace and a multinational rules-based order. Much of that has been eroded over the years and I am concerned about trade policy and how both trading blocks - the UK and the EU - may differ in the face of US tariffs.

Sentiment score: 0.33

We saw with Brexit that a huge amount of work went into preparing Irish business for the impacts of the divergence between the two parts of the island on trade, customs and tariffs. As we head into more uncertain times in terms of the transatlantic relationship regarding trade and tariffs, I ask the Tánaiste's Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to engage more with business. That is unlike members of the Opposition, who seem to pour water on engaging with businesses on trade. Of course, the Government should have an ethical framework and avoid any suggestion of oligarchy and so on, but if it is to deal with trade and tariffs, the people it should talk to are Irish businesses and people carrying out business in Ireland. We need to look at what the unintended consequences for those might be, most immediately in terms of aluminium and steel. We do not know where this will go but more engagement with businesses and for them to inform our position is a positive step and something we should not discourage. Some people in this House are better at creating jobs than others.

Sentiment score: 0.33