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Irish PM Micheál Martin at Stormont for talks | |
(about 8 hours later) | |
The first and deputy first ministers and Taoiseach (Irish PM) have agreed to hold a meeting of the north-south ministerial Council on 31 July. | |
Micheál Martin met Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill for joint talks at Stormont castle for the first time since becoming taoseach. | |
They also discussed the two governments' response to the Covid crisis and Brexit. | |
Mr Martin is due to meet the three other main Stormont parties shortly. | |
The trip was originally expected to take place last week, but was postponed due to late planning. | The trip was originally expected to take place last week, but was postponed due to late planning. |
Quarantine rules | Quarantine rules |
Mr Martin is expected to discuss the differences in quarantine rules in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill. | Mr Martin is expected to discuss the differences in quarantine rules in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill. |
Last week the Stormont Executive changed its rules so that people coming from almost 60 countries into NI do not need to self-isolate when they arrive. | Last week the Stormont Executive changed its rules so that people coming from almost 60 countries into NI do not need to self-isolate when they arrive. |
Irish authorities require anyone entering the Republic of Ireland, apart from those from Northern Ireland, to self-isolate for 14 days. | Irish authorities require anyone entering the Republic of Ireland, apart from those from Northern Ireland, to self-isolate for 14 days. |
That advice remains in place until 20 July. | That advice remains in place until 20 July. |
Mr Martin has said the Irish government remains cautious about travel off the island of Ireland. | Mr Martin has said the Irish government remains cautious about travel off the island of Ireland. |
Brexit and the issue of how north south relations should develop are also expected to form part of the discussions. | Brexit and the issue of how north south relations should develop are also expected to form part of the discussions. |
Date for next North-South Ministerial Council? | |
It is also likely that Mr Martin and the first and deputy first ministers will discuss setting a date for the North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) to meet. | |
The NSMC is the main body for cross-border co-operation between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. | |
It is attended by ministers from both sides of the border who oversee joint working in areas such as trade, food safety and agriculture. | |
It has not met in full since November 2016 because of the suspension of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government. | |
The assembly was restored in January 2020 but only a handful of ministers attended an impromptu meeting of the council in March, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to take hold. |