"I had a positive first call tonight with Hilary Benn and congratulated him on his new role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We both agreed on the importance of close cooperation between our Governments on a range of issues related to Northern Ireland and in our role as guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement.

"A strong and visible joint approach between the Irish and British Governments on Northern Ireland is the bedrock of positive progress and I look forward to working closely with the Secretary of State in this respect.

"We had a constructive conversation on legacy issues and agreed to work together on a path forward. This is a vital endeavour and I am committed to taking it forward with urgency with the Secretary of State."