26th British-Irish Council concludes in Glasgow
The British-Irish Council held its 26th summit meeting today (17 June 2016) hosted by the Scottish government in Glasgow.
Heads of delegation were welcomed to the summit by the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon MSP. The Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell MP led the UK delegation accompanied by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers MP and the Minister of State for Community and Social Care, Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP.
The council observed a minute’s silence following the death of Jo Cox MP for Batley and Spen and offered condolences to her family.
The council discussed priorities for member administrations and continued cooperation on issues of mutual interest. The council agreed that further action is required to support carers (those providing unpaid care in the home). They also agreed to the introduction of a new approach to the council’s shared work sectors to ensure the continued relevance of the council. This builds on the progress made at the previous London summit.
Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell said:
I was very pleased to lead the UK government delegation today, accompanied by my colleague Theresa Villiers, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Alistair Burt, the Minister for Community and Social Care.
The British-Irish Council is a key part of ensuring that all member administrations work well together on issues of mutual interest. It plays an important role in building and sustaining relationships between administrations. We had a very productive discussion today on a number of important areas, and I am grateful to all of the delegates for their positive engagement.
The British-Irish Council was established under the 1998 Multi-Party Agreement and plays a unique and important role in developing and furthering links between its member administrations.
It provides a forum for exchange of information and collaboration on matters of mutual interest and it fosters positive, practical relationships across these islands.