§ Mr. PoundTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made over the summer in relation to the British-Irish Council. [135522]
§ Marjorie MowlamI have been asked to reply.
Over the summer, the participants in the British-lrish Council have been taking forward work in a number of the areas identified as priorities at the first BIC summit meeting last December. The second BIC summit was due to take place in Dublin on Wednesday 18 October, hosted by the Irish Government. Regrettably, the summit had to be postponed following the death of the right hon. Donald Dewar MP MSP, First Minister of the Scottish Executive. Action is in hand to identify a new date for the summit.