Does the Taoiseach see any merit in the establishment of a separate Department of Northern Ireland Affairs, with its own Cabinet Minister? The responsibilities of the Minister for Foreign Affairs appear to be over extended, given that he must deal with Northern Ireland, the EU and other foreign affairs matters. Under the Agreement, further detailed activity will be necessary on Northern Ireland, not least with regard to the proposed North/South ministerial council and the British-Irish Council. The UK Government has a separate Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

I do not wish to speculate on what may happen in the future. The arrangements which have been in place for some years have worked well. These include a powerful section within my Department and a section within the Department of Foreign Affairs. Over the past ten months, certainly since September, the Minister for Foreign Affairs spent at least four days a week in Northern Ireland up until the Agreement. More usually in the past he would have spent a day or a day and a half a week there. Other Ministers will be involved in the creation of the North/South ministerial council. We will continue with present arrangements until that stage when we will be in a position to see how the Agreement will be implemented.