TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny is to give a keynote address to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Cork this morning on the theme of “Employment and Economic Recovery”.
The assembly (formerly the British-Irish inter-parliamentary body) was established in 1990 as a link between members of the houses of the British parliament and the Oireachtas.
In recent years, membership has expanded to include representatives of 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.
There are 68 members and two plenary sessions are held every year alternately in Britain and Ireland, with continuing work by four committees. The assembly is co-chaired by British Conservative peer Lord Cope of Berkeley, and Fine Gael TD for Donegal North East Joe McHugh, who was recently appointed to represent the Houses of the Oireachtas.
The gathering in Cork today and tomorrow will be the 42nd plenary session. The previous plenary session took place in the Isle of Man last November.
Economic issues will dominate the proceedings session, but a motion condemning a dissident republican car-bomb attack that killed PSNI constable Ronan Kerr in April is expected to be passed unanimously this afternoon.
Also today, chief executive of Enterprise Ireland Frank Ryan is due to speak on “The Economy and the Export Sector”. Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons is to give an address this afternoon on “Tourism and the Economy”.
Tomorrow’s speakers are Nama chairman Frank Daly and the chief executive of the newly formed British-Irish Chamber of Commerce, Peter Byrne.
Mr McHugh said: “The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly must build on the symbolism of Queen Elizabeth II’s recent visit to Ireland to develop real and practical commercial measures that will drive economic growth in Britain and Ireland . . .Cross-community and cross-channel links offer Britain and Ireland a route out of recession, and I will be focused as co-chairperson on ensuring the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly is a worthwhile vehicle for driving this agenda.”