Minister McGrath to travel to Stormont for first meeting with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive

The Minister for Finance Michael McGrath is today (20 February 2024) travelling to Stormont to meet with his Northern Ireland Executive counterpart, Minister for Finance Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA. He will also visit a number of projects in Belfast which are supported by the government’s Reconciliation Fund.

This meeting offers the two ministers an opportunity to have a first discussion on issues of common interest and open the channels for shared strategic dialogue, while also building a cooperative and collaborative working relationship. It is also hoped that a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council, a key body established under the Good Friday Agreement, will meet soon and bring together Ministers from departments across both administrations.

Minister McGrath had congratulated Minister Archibald after her appointment as Minister for Finance, and warmly welcomed the restoration of the Executive and the Assembly on 3 February.

Speaking ahead his visit, the Minister said:

“I look forward to engaging with Minister Archibald following her appointment as Minister for Finance in the restored Northern Ireland Executive.

"This meeting provides an excellent opportunity to discuss our shared economic interests, the all-island economy and the shared opportunities and challenges we face. Recent years have brought great uncertainty and challenge in both political and economic terms, but we now have an opportunity – with the Executive restored and greater certainty around key issues such as post-Brexit trade – to maximise the potential of the economic relationships on this island.

"There has always been the potential to further develop Cross-border trade and recent years have shown what can be achieved – at the start of this decade total trade in goods and services amounted to under €5 billion, while in 2022 this rose to €11.6 billion, involving a 15% increase over 2021."

The Minister added:

“Peace and prosperity remain at the core of our work, and while the focus of my meeting will be on our work for shared prosperity – including in the context of the Shared Island Initiative – I will also take time to visit some projects supported by the government’s Reconciliation Fund devoted to ongoing reconciliation and community work."