Taoiseach to address British Irish Parliamentary Assembly from Seanad Chamber

The 44th plenary of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly will take place in the Seanad Chamber, Leinster House, Dublin from Monday 14th – Tuesday 15th May 2012. This is the first occasion on which Seanad Eireann, the upper house of the Irish parliament, has been the venue for a plenary of the Assembly.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, will address the Assembly from the Seanad on Monday afternoon at 4.15pm on the theme of the plenary “Making business easier between Britain and Ireland.”

Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School, will also address the plenary on the theme of “Opportunities for the food sector in Britain and Ireland” on Monday morning. This will be followed by a specific focus on health co-operation and joint services between Britain and Ireland, with an address from the Minister for Health, James Reilly TD.

Other guest speakers will include senior business people from the manufacturing, food, and pharmaceutical sectors who will participate in a panel discussion with members of the Assembly on Tuesday morning.

The provisional agenda for the plenary is:

Monday 14th May

9.45am – Opening remarks and welcome from Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Senator Paddy Burke

9.50am – Role of transport in supporting business and tourism – Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar TD

11.45am – Opportunities for the food sector in Britain and Ireland – Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School

3.20pm – Potential of shared services in the area of health provision – Minister for Health, James Reilly TD

4.15pm – Address by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD

Tuesday 15th May

10am – Developing trade opportunities between Britain and Ireland – Panel discussion with:

• Patrick Coveney, CEO Greencore
• Sean O’Driscoll, CEO Glen Dimplex
• Sally Storey, Vice President and General Manager GlaxoSmithKline (Ireland) Ltd

11.45am – Britain and Ireland economic relations – Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Brian Hayes TD

Media outlets are welcome to attend or send a representative to the plenary. Those attending are requested to contact Ronan Farren, Q4 Public Relations (01 475 1444 / 087 934 0386 / ronan@q4pr.ie), for further information, accreditation and to make the necessary arrangements.

ENDS