Irish-British parliamentary role for Smith

Cavan/Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith has been appointed as co-chair of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.

It is a key political appointment, given there will now be a need for much greater parliamentary engagement between Dublin and London following Brexit.

"The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) promotes co-operation between political representatives in Britain and Ireland. BIPA’s membership includes representatives from the Houses of the Oireachtas, the UK Parliament, 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," explained Deputy Smith.

British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly Members engage in a wide range of parliamentary activities through plenary meetings and ongoing Committee work. Plenaries alternate between Britain and Ireland and debate topical issues, Committee reports and include a question time with senior Ministers from both jurisdictions. The Assembly’s four standing committees meet regularly and examine matters of common concern dealing with sovereign matters, European affairs, economic issues and environmental and social issues.

"Common membership of the EU contributed to the much improved Irish - British relations over the past few decades and, in this much changed context from the 1st January, we will need to intensify parliamentary engagement between both countries. I look forward to the important role that our Assembly will play in the further development of political relations between parliaments and assemblies in our respective jurisdictions," said Deputy Smith.

Mr Andrew Rosindell, the well-known Conservative MP, is the co-chair appointed by Westminster.