19Th Annual Report, 2015
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BRITISH-IRISH PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY TIONÓL PARLAIMINTEACH NA BREATAINE AGUS NA HÉIREANN NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT Doc. No. 227 February 2015 CONTENTS Introduction Page 3 Membership of the Assembly Page 3 Political developments Page 3 The work of the Assembly Page 8 Forty-eighth plenary Conference (Kilmainham, Dublin) Page 8 Forty-ninth plenary Conference (Ashford, Kent and Flanders) Page 17 Steering Committee Page 24 Committees Page 24 Staffing Page 24 Prospects for 2015 Page 24 APPENDIX 1: Membership of the Assembly Page 25 APPENDIX 2: Reports, etc., approved by the Assembly Page 29 APPENDIX 3: Work of Committees Page 31 APPENDIX 4: Staffing of the Assembly Page 37 2 NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT THE WORK OF THE BRITISH-IRISH PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY IN 2014 Introduction 1. This is the nineteenth annual report of the Assembly since it was decided at the Plenary Session in May 1996 that such a Report should be made. This Report summarises the work of the Assembly during 2014. Membership of the Assembly 2. Following the significant turnover in membership in the 2010 and 2011, arising from general elections to the two sovereign parliaments and to the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly, 2014, like the two preceding years, was a period of stability in membership, with only minor changes. A list of Members and Associate Members is set out at Appendix 1. Political developments General Overview 3. The relationship between Ireland and Britain continued to deepen in 2014, the major highlight being the State Visit by President Michael D. Higgins and Mrs Sabina Higgins to the UK in April. 4. This first State Visit by the President of Ireland took place from 8 – 11 April 2014. The visit was marked by warmth and enthusiasm from both the British hosts and the general public, including Irish people living in Britain. The extensive programme of events spanned across an impressive range of political, economic, cultural and social aspects of the Irish-British relationship including a very special Ceiliúradh evening in the Royal Albert Hall. Ireland and Britain’s trading relationship, amounting to €1 billion per week, was showcased and further trading links were promoted. Political links were further cemented through the participation in the State Visit of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and several Irish ministers. 5. 2014 also saw a visit by President Higgins to Wales in October for an official programme where he took part in events to commemorate the life of Dylan Thomas. 6. The close engagement between the UK and Ireland is anchored at the political level by the annual summit meeting between the Taoiseach and the PM. This practice began after the May 2011 visit to Ireland of HM Queen Elizabeth and the third such summit took place in London on 11 March 2014 where there was strong agreement on the continued importance of working together. 7. Deeper economic co-operation and collaboration on a range of areas recommended by the 2013 British-Irish Joint Economic Study Report continued in 2014 while formal 3 structured engagement at the Secretary General/Permanent Secretary level across the civil service also continued with the most recent meeting in this format taking place in London in September. Such engagement is a sign of the broader process of collaborative work between the two Governments and their administrations and provides an input into supporting policy development in both jurisdictions. 8. The British-Irish Council held two summit meetings in 2014: in Guernsey in June and on the Isle of Man in November. 9. 2014 also saw extensive public debate ahead of the referendum on Scottish independence on 18 September, when the Scottish electorate voted to remain in the United Kingdom. The referendum generated considerable interest in Ireland and elsewhere. The Irish government and most other foreign governments remained neutral. Discussions are now continuing on proposed changes to devolution arrangements within the UK. Commemorations 10. 2014 marked the centenary of the start of the First World War. Events commemorating this important anniversary provided an opportunity to remember together all those men and women who lost their lives, as well as to explore the totality of the history of these islands and reaffirm the legitimacy of all traditions. 11. Members of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly marked the centenary by visiting Flanders in October 2014. Our programme included ceremonies at the Island of Ireland Peace Park in Messines, and concluded with participation in the daily ‘last post’ ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. 12. President Higgins’ State Visit to the United Kingdom in April also underlined the importance of the current decade of centenaries to both countries. This was reflected through individual events, demonstrating a commitment by both countries to inclusive commemorations. Later in the year on 4 August, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted a First World War commemorative service at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's military cemetery at St. Symphorien in Belgium, which President Higgins attended. 13. The Remembrance Sunday commemoration at the London Cenotaph included Irish participation for the first time since 1946, with Ireland’s Ambassador to Britain, Dan Mulhall, laying a laurel wreath during the ceremony. 14. During an official visit to Ireland, on 16 December, British Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP attended a lecture by the former President of Ireland, Professor Mary McAleese, marking the centenary of the Christmas Truce of 1914. This took place at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin. Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan T.D., and Foreign Secretary Hammond both addressed the audience during the evening. 15. In November 2014, the Irish Government launched outline plans for the “Ireland 2016” commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising, which will be a centerpiece of Ireland’s decade of centenaries. 4 North South Co-operation 16. There was a full round of 24 North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meetings during 2014 covering all sectors and including two Plenary meetings and one Institutional meeting. At these meetings Ministers discussed the challenges facing both jurisdictions and opportunities for co-operation. Ministers, North and South, worked to develop priorities for North/South co-operation in their respective sectoral areas especially where it could lead to economic recovery, job creation, the best use of public funds and the most effective delivery of services. 17. Examples of such co-operation which were taken forward in 2014 include Ministers, North and South, working together on Joint Trade Missions and the joint support for the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) bid to bring the 2023 Rugby World Cup to the island of Ireland. 18. Engagement between the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on EU issues continued in 2014 with the draft of the new PEACE and INTERREG Programmes being submitted to the European Commission in September. It is hoped that the new programmes will be launched in Spring 2015 and provide funding of more than €0.5 billion to Northern Ireland and the Southern border counties up to 2020. Ministers also engaged actively on the potential for collaboration to draw down EU funds to the island of Ireland from other available European programmes. Political and Security Developments in Northern Ireland 19. 2014 was an extremely busy year regarding political developments in Northern Ireland. In May, local elections took place, in tandem with the European elections across UK and Ireland. NI Party Leaders’ talks on flags, parades and dealing with the past, intended to take forward discussions on issues considered during the 2013 Haass talks, were suspended for the duration of the elections. After the elections there was some renewed momentum but on 3 July Unionist parties ended their participation in Party Leaders’ Talks following a Parades Commission decision regarding a section of a parading route in North Belfast. Following the collapse of the Party Leaders’ talks, it became apparent that on a number of legacy issues, as well as broader financial and welfare issues, the talks had become deadlocked. 20. By September 2014, it was the joint assessment of the UK and Irish governments that the political impasse in Northern Ireland was such that the immediate involvement of the Governments was required to break the political logjam. On 28 September, the Governments announced that political talks, involving the NI Executive Parties and the Governments, would be convened to seek to resolve these issues and provide for economic renewal and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. The talks opened on 16 October and, following eleven weeks of intensive negotiations, they concluded successfully on 23 December with the Stormont House Agreement. 21. The Stormont House Agreement addresses a number of important issues. In particular, it provides new tools to address the complex legacy of the past. The Agreement also sets out a plan for financial and budgetary reform in Northern Ireland. It proposes a way forward on flags, identity, culture and tradition through the establishment of a commission. It envisages the devolution of responsibility for 5 parades to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It establishes a programme of institutional reform at Stormont and progresses a number of outstanding aspects from the Good Friday and St Andrews Agreements, including the establishment of an independent civic advisory panel to advise the Northern Ireland Executive. It also provides for further measures to enhance North/South cooperation on the island of Ireland. The Agreement contains specific provisions on review and monitoring of implementation, with quarterly review meetings and six-monthly progress reports. The Stormont House Agreement provides a good basis on which to advance a number of issues identified in BIPA’s Committee A Report of 31 March 2014 ‘The Implementation of the Good Friday/Belfast and St.