Taoiseach concerned over NI Assembly and North-South council

The functioning of the Stormont Assembly and North South Ministerial Council remains a "serious concern", the Taoiseach said on Thursday as he called on Northern Ireland's politicians to take their mandates and quickly form an Executive after next month's election.

Speaking at an event held by the think-tank Tasc in Dublin, Micheál Martin said issues around Brexit have "further strained politics in Northern Ireland and complicated North-South and East-West relationships in recent years".

Tasc has organised a series of events to examine what a "shared island" could look like, the first of which was opened and addressed by Mr Martin.

He acknowledged that there are “genuinely held concerns” among some in unionist communities about the operation of the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.

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"The Government has and will continue to listen to and engage on these with our European Union partners and with the United Kingdom government to find agreed resolutions," he said.

Mr Martin said ahead of the May 5th Assembly elections, the Stormont Executive and North South Ministerial Council were “not fully functioning”.

“This remains a serious concern,” he said. “It is vital for the future of Northern Ireland, and for relationships on these islands, that the political parties take their mandates from the Assembly elections and move quickly to form a new executive.”

He told the event that there was a need to “mend and tend” relationships on the island.

“As political leaders we need to and can find resolutions that move beyond the issues on Brexit and the protocol. At the same time we need to mend and tend relationships across borders, communities, and political traditions, through meaningful cooperation and interaction.”

Speaking before the event, he said he did not think a Sinn Féin-led Executive would be a threat to the objectives of the shared island unit his Government had established.

“I think the normal democracy prevails in the context of the elections for the Assembly and the Executive, and in my view what’s key really after the election is that all parties irrespective of the result come together to ensure the establishment of an Executive and have an Assembly as part of the fulfilment of the Good Friday Agreement and to represent their people,” he said.

“The people want their politicians to be active and participative in the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.”