The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is taking over today for the Tánaiste who is in Belfast at the latest stage of the talks about the future of the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is now two and a half years since the assembly collapsed, effectively leaving the people of the North voiceless in terms of the challenge of Brexit, which has hung over the entire island over those three years and also over many day-to-day issues, including welfare, education, health, business and other issues that have been left in abeyance while we try to get this process going again.

The horrific murder of Lyra McKee on Holy Thursday by a dissident group, the New IRA, was condemned by all sides in this House and on our island. However, Fr. Martin McGill struck a chord with everybody on the island when he spoke at the funeral and demanded that political leaders get their act together. He said, “Why, in God’s name, does it take the death of a 29 year old woman, with her whole life in front of her, to get to this point?” The Minister knows that people are fed up. They want to see progress and something happen from these talks.

I ask the Minister to give an update to the House and his assessment, as a politician of long standing and experience, as to the prospects for that progress, particularly in the context of Prime Minister May stepping down and a new Prime Minister being elected. Is it the Minister’s view that there may not be progress before she completes her time in office? Is the Government worried or has it discussed the potential approach of a new Prime Minister or a new leader of the Tory Party to the talks in Northern Ireland? The Tánaiste said in April that he wanted the talks to be inclusive, determined and urgent and that it was his hope that the assembly would be up and running again by July. That is a month away. Is it the Government’s view at the end of May that this deadline set by the Tánaiste can be met?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The questions he articulated are certainly on everyone's lips but, equally, I would have to say that for me to follow his invitation and to give my personal commentary on prospects would not be the best advice. The reality is that these are difficult issues that need to be resolved. We understand that. There is a huge urgency, as the Government has recognised. To be fair, in the aftermath of that appalling killing of Lyra McKee, there has been political initiative both by the British and Irish Governments and the parties have initiated talks. Clearly, it is our hope those talks will bear fruit. Everyone who has been assessing the prospect of Brexit recognises that this has unfortunately exposed some of the old fault lines that politicians find so difficult to deal with. We must be very conscious that we do not want to aggravate that while at the same time the reason we are holding out so strongly in regard to the negotiations on Brexit is that we have a universal commitment in this state to protect the Good Friday Agreement and everything that has been enshrined in it.

While I am not going to accept the Deputy's invitation to speculate on either the immediate prospects of a break through or the optimal timing for such discussions I would underpin the importance the Deputy is attributing to it. These opportunities to resolve these issue only come rarely and never has it been at a more crucial time for Northern Ireland when we have the prospect of Brexit occurring, and even the potential of a hard Brexit. The impact on-----

I have my eyes on the clock.

I lost track of my train of thought. The clock seemed to start at a strange time.

We will give the Minister a minute.

No. I accede to not interrupting your flow.

This is technology.

I was not inviting the Minister rather I was asking him to comment on a deadline set by the Tánaiste to have the assembly up and running in July. Is that still a realistic perspective? The Minister spoke of fault lines. Those fault lines are weakening. The voting trends in the North in the local and European elections, and similar votes here last Friday, suggest a demand by voters on this island for politicians to take responsibility for and action on a large number of issues. Brexit is one of those but there are many other issues, about which I have spoken. Faults lines must be challenged and dismantled. The Tánaiste injected urgency into this process at the beginning by saying let us have the assembly back up and running at the beginning of July. Is the Government still working to that target, or are the words spoken by Fr. McGill at Lyra McKee's funeral going to be put on the shelf again? Will that impassioned plea be heard or a response to it be delayed?

I can assure the Deputy that the Tánaiste's sense of urgency and his commitment to getting this agreement is absolutely undoubted. He is, as the Deputy will be aware, involved in those talks today. He is seeking intensification of the discussions over the coming days. During the week of 11 June he will update the House. The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister have committed to an early discussion to review progress. There is a shared sense of urgency but while sharing that sense of urgency we have to give the time and space for the individual parties to work through this. No effort will be spared by the Tánaiste who has demonstrated over many such situations in the past his resilience and determination to get a good outcome. I have absolute faith in the efforts he is putting in.