Over the past year there has been a mammoth amount of work done to restore the political institutions in the North. Sinn Féin’s focus has been doing that on the basis of respect, integrity and equality for all sections of society. When the latest round of talks was announced in January, we said that a sharp focused negotiation was required to resolve the outstanding issues of rights and equality available to everyone on this part of the island and in Britain. Sinn Féin engaged. We worked in good faith. We stretched ourselves. This time yesterday afternoon there was an accommodation with the DUP. We had the basis of a deal. The Government, based on what the Tánaiste has said since, believed there was the basis for a deal. The British Government did likewise. The DUP failed to close that deal and collapsed this process yesterday afternoon.

Notwithstanding that, these issues will not go away. I know that, the Tánaiste knows it, and the British Government and the DUP know it. These issues do not threaten anybody. They are issues of fundamental rights and rights for all do not mean fewer rights for some. Tá Sinn Féin réidh dul i mbun oibre. Ba mhaith linn dul i ngleic leis an dúshlán seo. Tá bunús réitigh ar an tábla agus tá muidne breá sásta páirt a ghlacadh ann.

Deputy McDonald and Michelle O'Neill, MLA, are in Belfast today. I urge the DUP to reflect on its position. I also encourage Fianna Fáil to reflect on its position. The Fianna Fáil leader, Deputy Martin, has trotted out the same tired so-called "two problem parties” line while also blaming both Governments. This is from the same Fianna Fáil leader who a couple of years ago called for the institutions in the North to be suspended. Now he wants to point the finger of blame at everyone involved in efforts to get the institutions back up and running, despite not lifting a finger himself. This is a disgraceful attitude which is completely at odds with the facts.

I acknowledge the Tánaiste’s contribution to trying to make this work. He has been involved and engaged. It is important for us to say that. The officials have also been involved and we are very grateful for that. Sinn Féin wants the institutions back up and running and public services and rights being delivered for all. There has been much speculation this morning about what happens next. We are crystal clear on this. Direct rule is not an option. The Taoiseach said in December that the Irish Government "won’t be supporting direct rule". In September the Tánaiste said there "can be no British-only direct rule". Has the Tánaiste made that position clear to the British Government?

First, I intended to say in response to Deputy Calleary that I, too, would like to extend the condolences of the Government to every US citizen in Ireland and of course to the families mourning this afternoon after the extraordinary tragedy of yesterday where 17, predominantly young, people and children lost their lives in yet another shooting. I hope and expect that the House will join me in that expression of sympathy.

Yesterday was a surprising and very disappointing development in Stormont. We and the British Government were not expecting the DUP to make the statement it did. I do not think Sinn Féin was expecting that either. That said, it is important to say that the past eight months, particularly the past four weeks, have been a period when the two largest parties in Northern Ireland have been making significant progress to try to find accommodation with each other. I believe that last Friday we were very close to a final deal that undoubtedly required further discussion on its presentation and description this week, but the basis of that deal was there. I recognise the willingness of parties to try to compromise and to accommodate each other for the sake of Northern Ireland and for the sake of getting a devolved institution back up and running, which is what everybody and all the parties in Northern Ireland, including the DUP, have said repeatedly they want as the best form of governance. We have spent a great deal of time together trying to bring this about.

Some of the commentary this morning has been unhelpful, in particular from the Fianna Fáil leader who does not seem to understand what has been going on in Northern Ireland.

Is this a new coalition?

We have a tradition in this House, particularly between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, of supporting and helping each other, regardless of who is in Government, in the context of protecting the fundamentals of the Good Friday Agreement and of looking after our responsibility towards people North of the Border. If Deputy Martin has an issue with how we are taking on and performing those responsibilities, he should talk to us about it as opposed to tweeting within the hour of hearing the DUP's statement yesterday, trying to criticise two Governments which are working in partnership to try to bring about devolved government again in Northern Ireland.

The Tánaiste should listen to him.

He is a tweeter too.

He is pretty good at tweeting himself.

He is pretty good at tweeting quickly too.

He likes tweeting.

The Tánaiste is pretty handy on the tweet button himself.

Not on this issue I am not. In response to Deputy Pearse Doherty’s questions, we have made it clear to the British Government, in the right and appropriate way, that a move to direct rule is not where we want to be and it is not where the British Government wants to be. It is also not where the DUP wants to be, in my view, even though that is what it effectively requested yesterday. Instead, Karen Bradley, the Secretary of State, and I will work together with the parties to try to bring us back to a point where we focus on finding accommodation with each other again with a view to trying to get an executive up and running. Any alternative to that is bad news for everybody - unionism, nationalism and both Governments. We will work hard to avoid that happening.

I acknowledge the Tánaiste's comments on the mass shooting. I believe it is the eighth instance of gun violence in schools and it is a tragic loss for all the families involved.

I also acknowledge the Tánaiste's comments here in the Dáil, in particular his statement that the Government is making its position clear to the British Government in the appropriate way. It is important for all of us to remember that the objective is to get the institutions up and running on a sustainable basis with integrity, respect and equality at its core. Whatever about political potshots, this issue is far bigger than political parties and cheap political points.

That is our aim. It is what we are committed to doing. In my view, the Government needs to stay focused, on track and steady with regard to this. We have stretched ourselves and worked hard to get the institutions back up and running. As the Tánaiste said, progress has been made. However, it is not just the case that progress had been made. An accommodation had been reached with the leadership of the DUP and a way forward on all the key issues. For our part, let me be very clear that we are open for business and want to address these issues. A basis for a deal was on the table and that is a deal we are up for. We look forward to working with the Tánaiste, the Government and other political parties in the time ahead to ensure that the institutions are back up and running on a credible and sustainable basis with equality, integrity and respect at their core.

We will try to help the Deputy do that with the other parties. If one looks at Arlene Foster's statement yesterday, one can see that there are positives in it. We need to focus on those and build on them in terms of her desire to see devolved government up and running again, but clearly there is an issue and there is a frustration within unionism and the DUP regarding Irish language issues in particular. My understanding of the accommodation that was reached is that it was one that ensures that the Irish language is not a threat to anybody but instead is part of the diversity of Northern Ireland and part of the identity of many who live there who see the Irish language as part of who they are and who do not want to force that part of who they are on anybody else. It is important that we all reach out to unionism in that regard and ensure both communities in Northern Ireland understand and respect the diversity, difference and perspective on history of the other community. That is what the past eight months has been about. We made huge progress in terms of trying to build relationships and trust between parties, particularly in the past three weeks, which is why yesterday was such a setback, but that does not mean that we should abandon those efforts now and I can promise the Deputy that we will not.