Believe it or not, it is now seven months since the Northern Ireland Assembly election in the North and the people are still without a Government as the DUP maintains its boycott of the political institutions. It is my understanding the Tories' very reckless Northern Ireland protocol Bill has been put on ice until the new year.

In her address to the Oireachtas recently, the European Commission President, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, made it clear she is hopeful progress can be made on the protocol. I share that hope. Space has now been created for negotiations. The question is whether this space is being used to get a deal to restore the institutions. Mr. Rishi Sunak became British Prime Minister at the end of October. He has yet to engage properly with parties in the North. Has the Taoiseach been in touch with Mr. Sunak?

What steps is the Irish Government taking to use the space now created to achieve progress, a result, the retention of the protocol and, crucially, government in the North?

Generally speaking, one of the big regrets of the whole Brexit saga has been the degree to which proper thinking of the impact on Northern Ireland was never really carried out. We are living with the situation ever since Brexit and it has had a negative impact on the overall sets of relationships in respect of Northern Ireland. The British Prime Minister, when I last met him, as well as everything we have heard from his office and from the secretary of state for foreign affairs, indicated a view to getting this resolved by negotiation. President von der Leyen was hopeful last week, as the Deputy said. We hope the European Union, with the United Kingdom Government, utilises this opportunity to resolve the outstanding issues in relation to the protocol. Parallel to that, the DUP should go back into the Assembly and facilitate the restoration of the Executive and the Assembly.