Mayo senator appointed to key Northern Ireland committee

AN Taoiseach Micheál Martin has announced the establishment of a new Northern Ireland and Good Friday Agreement Committee and has appointed Mayo Senator Lisa Chambers to its membership.

The policy area of Northern Ireland has been the sole responsibility of the Fianna Fáil party leader for many years and it is considered a significant departure from normal business to expand the work to other members of the parliamentary party.

A select group of just eight TDs and senators have been asked to sit on this specialist committee which will oversee the renewal and future development of the party's policy on Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the appointment, Senator Chambers said: “It is a huge honour and privilege to be asked to sit on this specialist committee on Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement by An Taoiseach. I am acutely aware of the sensitivities of this policy area and the fact that up until now it was under the sole remit of the party leader.

“There is a desire within Fianna Fáil, as the party who delivered the peace agreement, to focus more on the next chapter of peace on this island and the continued implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

“I look forward to working with my Fianna Fáil colleagues and engaging with parliamentarians in Northern Ireland as we look to the next five to 10 years and shaping the conversation around continued peace on the island and ultimately uniting its people through peaceful and democratic means.”