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British Irish Parliamentary Assembly to meet in Sligo next week

Added 6-Jun-2018

The British Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) meets in Sligo (in the Sligo Park Hotel) on the 11th and 12th of June for its 56th plenary.

The session will feature addresses by Joe McHugh TD, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Children’s Ombudsmen from Ireland and Northern Ireland. The British Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Robin Barnett will also address the Assembly.

Speaking ahead of the plenary, Irish Co-Chair Seán Crowe TD said, “As 2018 is the one hundredth anniversary of partial suffrage, this 56th plenary will see BIPA members discuss and acknowledge the very real challenges facing women in parliament. We also plan to discuss the historical perspective of the suffrage movement particularly against the backdrop of ongoing claims of sexual harassment, unequal representation and pay.”

“Peace and stability can never be taken for granted and BIPA plays an important role in providing a forum for our parliaments to meet and engage directly with one another. The Assembly acknowledges the major political challenges, like Brexit, facing our collective jurisdictions. We are all keen to see the political institutions restored in the North and we will use the opportunity this plenary presents to further build and maintain good relationships between our parliaments and its elected representatives”

Co-chair Andrew Rosindell commented, “It is now 20 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement that established the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in its current form to facilitate on-going dialogue between parliaments in Ireland, the UK, devolved nations and Crown Dependencies. I look forward to reflecting on what has been achieved in these past two decades and how we can continue to work together to secure prosperity in Northern Ireland. We also look forward to investigating some of the broader issues related to Brexit, including the impact on children and at a local level, as well as commemorating the votes for women campaign and role of women in parliaments today.”

ENDS/

Media outlets are welcome to attend or send a representative to the plenary. Those attending are requested to contact Nuala Walsh (details below), for further information and accreditation.

Media enquiries and accreditation requests to:

Dublin: Nuala Walsh +353 86 410 0898 / nuala.walsh@oireachtas.ie

London: George Perry + 0044 783 417 2099 / perryg@parliament.uk

Notes to eds:

The 56th Plenary will take place in the Sligo Park Hotel on Monday and Tuesday, 11th and 12th of June 2018.

About the Assembly

The Assembly’s mission is to promote co-operation between political representatives in Britain and Ireland for the benefit of the people they represent. BIPA’s membership includes representatives from the UK Parliament, the Houses of Oireachtas, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly, the High Court of Tynwald (Isle of Man) and the States of Guernsey and Jersey.

Programme of events:

MONDAY 11 JUNE 2018

At 9.15 am: meeting in public session

1. BRIEF INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS BY CO-CHAIRS

2. ADOPTION OF PROPOSED PROGRAMME OF BUSINESS

3. WELCOME TO SLIGO BY THE CATHAOIRLEACH OF SLIGO COUNTY COUNCIL

Cllr Seamus Kilgallon, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, will welcome the Assembly to Sligo

At 9.30 am

4. OPENING ADDRESS

Joe McHugh TD, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Government Chief Whip, will address the Assembly and respond to questions.

At 10.15 am

5. PANEL DISCUSSION – MARKING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT

Ms Bronagh Hinds and Baroness Blood will address the Assembly and respond to questions.

At 11.15 am

6. WORK OF THE SPECIAL EU PROGRAMMES BODY

Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer, Special EU Programmes Body will address the Assembly and respond to questions.

At 12.00 pm

7. BREXIT AND THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN

Ms Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, and Dr Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children, will jointly address the Assembly and respond to questions.

At 2.30 pm

8. ADDRESS BY THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO IRELAND

The British Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Robin Barnett will address the Assembly and respond to questions

At 3.15 pm

9. PANEL DISCUSSION: CHALLENGES FACING REGIONS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Professor Edgar Morgenroth, Professor of Economics, Dublin City University

Denis Kelly, Assistant Director. North West Regional Assembly

Ciarán Hayes, Chief Executive Sligo County Council

At 4.30 pm

10. PANEL DISCUSSION: WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT TODAY

Parliamentarians from the of Houses of the Oireachtas, Houses of Commons, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly will address the Assembly and respond to questions.

TUESDAY 12 JUNE 2018

At 9.15 am: Meeting in public session

11. THE VOTES FOR WOMEN CAMPAIGN: FROM LISSADELL HOUSE TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

Professor Sonja Tiernan, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of History and Politics at Liverpool Hope University will address the plenary and respond to questions.

At about 10.00 am:

12. ANNUAL REPORT 2017

13. COMMITTEE UPDATES

PROGRESS REPORT FROM COMMITTEE A (SOVEREIGN MATTERS)

Mr Peter Fitzpatrick TD

PROGRESS REPORT FROM COMMITTEE B (EUROPEAN AFFAIRS)

Mr Darran Millar AM

PROGRESS REPORT FROM COMMITTEE C (ECONOMIC)

Ms Joan Burton TD

PROGRESS REPORT FROM COMMITTEE D (ENVIRONMENT & SOCIAL)

Lord Alf Dubs

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO COMMITTEE REPORTS

14. COMMITTEE C (ECONOMIC) will present their Report to the Assembly

“THE IMPLICATIONS OF BREXIT FOR THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR”

15. COMMITTEE A (SOVERIGN MATTERS) will present their Report to the Assembly

“THE BRITISH-IRISH TRADE RELATIONSHIP AND THE BORDERR WHEN THE UK LEAVES THE EU”

ADJOURNMENT