Northern Ireland

British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference to take place tomorrow in Dublin

Simon Coveney will be joint chair of tomorrow's British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire
Simon Coveney will be joint chair of tomorrow's British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire Simon Coveney will be joint chair of tomorrow's British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire

THE British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference (BIIGC) will convene tomorrow for the second time this year following a previous gap of a decade since it last met.

The meeting at Iveagh House in Dublin will be chaired by Tánaiste Simon Coveney and British Cabinet Office Minister David Liddington.

Also in attendance will be the Republic's justice minister Charlie Flanagan and Secretary of State Karen Bradley.

The two governments are expected to discuss efforts to restore the devolved institutions, alongside the implications of Brexit.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Coveney said he was looking forward to a "constructive meeting".

"Following the last meeting of the conference in July, it shows the shared determination of both governments to get all of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operating effectively again as soon as possible," he said.

"It also demonstrates that, despite the current challenges, both the Irish and UK governments are committed to developing the relationship between our countries and looking at ways to maintain and deepen our engagement."

Mr Flanagan said the meeting would be an important opportunity for the two governments to discuss shared security concerns.

"We have common cause in combatting the threat from paramilitaries who continue to reject the Good Friday Agreement," he said.

"While considerable progress has been made on the security front, the need for continued action against paramilitaries and ongoing vigilance remains."

In a corresponding Northern Ireland Office press release announcing the meeting, neither British minister made any comment. However, a number of quotations from the Good Friday Agreement appeared to stress the limits of conference's remit.

"The BIIGC is not an executive body and, as the Belfast Agreement states explicitly, 'there will be no derogation from the sovereignty of either government'," it said.

"The BIIGC is ‘concerned with non-devolved Northern Ireland matters’ and will include a discussion on east-west issues."