Micheál Martin has urged Stormont’s parties to work with the two governments in reforming the devolved institutions to ensure they are “on the most sustainable possible footing”.
The Tánaiste said the Good Friday Agreement’s “protections and balances” would be central to any future discussions about the sustainability of power-sharing but that “structural change” was required.
Speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday, the Fianna Fáil leader said the Dublin government had a responsibility to protect the 1998 accord’s “delicate balance” but it also had a “duty to ensure that the institutions operate as effectively as possible”.
“I have said consistently that there must be room for the Northern Ireland parties and the British and Irish governments to look together at the institutions to ensure that they work for the Northern Ireland of today – the agreement itself provides for this,” he said.
Commenting on the inter-state case brought against the British government over its legacy legislation, Mr Martin said he had been “forthright and consistent” in highlighting its incompatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights.
“I obviously regret that this is the space in which we find ourselves, and it is a situation that we did our best to avoid, however, the act pushed through by the British government in the face of almost universal opposition, fails to address the most fundamental concerns,” he said.
“The British government shut down the political avenue – they refused to pause the legislation’s progress and left us only with the legal path.”
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has confirmed to the Dáil that a proposal to commit fresh funds for the upgrade of the A5 will be brought to cabinet next week.
The announcement has further raised hopes that work on the long-awaited scheme could begin in the coming months.
The 53-mile dual carriageway between Aughnacloy and Derry will be the largest road ever built in the north, with an estimated cost of around £1.6bn.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said last week that contractors had been appointed and that work could get underway once the public inquiry process was completed and go-ahead for the scheme given.
The Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) passed its report into the upgrade to the Department for Infrastructure in November.
A spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure said officials were currently considering the points raised in the PAC report and that they hoped to present proposals to the minister shortly.
The Irish government originally committed £400m to the upgrade in 2007 but wavered in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
Following 2014′s Stormont House Agreement, Dublin made a fresh pledge to provide funding of £75m
According to the taoiseach’s department, a “provision of £25m” has been made by the Department of Transport for funding the scheme this year, if required.
Donegal Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, who had asked Mr Varadkar about the funds, welcomed the taoiseach’s commitment.
SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said the Irish government had “remained committed to offering whatever support possible”.