262. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she has contacted the new Scottish First Minister recently. [39391/26]

In my role as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I last met with First Minister John Swinney in the margins of British-Irish Council Summit in Wales on 5 December 2025. The month before, my colleague Minister of State Neale Richmond launched the Ireland-Scotland Bilateral Cooperation Framework alongside First Minister Swinney in Dublin on 26 November 2025.

John Swinney was re-elected and sworn in as First Minister on 20 May and I have written to congratulate him. I look forward to speaking to him soon, and to continuing and growing the close partnership between our governments.

Ireland and Scotland are longstanding, likeminded partners and neighbours. We are joined together by our shared history, culture, people, and a mutually beneficial trade relationship. Our partnership is framed by the Ireland-Scotland Bilateral Cooperation Framework 2030, a strategic, action-oriented agreement that guides the political, economic, and cultural relationship between our governments until the end of the decade.