Taoiseach to attend British-Irish Council summit in Guernsey focused on childhood wellbeing and online safety

Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee are participating in the 45th summit meeting of the British-Irish Council in Guernsey. This institution, established by the Good Friday Agreement, convenes the eight governments operating across Britain and Ireland, including the offshore islands.

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The British-Irish Council offers an opportunity to meet with our nearest neighbours to exchange ideas and discuss issues that affect us all, a core component of the Good Friday Agreement.

The central theme of this year's summit is 'supporting healthy and happy childhoods.' Discussions will delve into early years systems designed to assist children and families, with a particular focus on age-appropriate digital access and overall wellbeing. Beyond this core topic, leaders are also set to exchange ideas on broader political and international affairs.

Taoiseach Martin highlighted the summit's significance as an opportunity to collaborate with neighboring nations on shared concerns. "The British-Irish Council offers an opportunity to meet with our nearest neighbours to exchange ideas and discuss issues that affect us all, a core component of the Good Friday Agreement," he stated. He emphasized that supporting childhoods and early years is a priority for his government.

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This summit’s theme of supporting healthy and happy childhoods, and early years is a priority for my Government.

Minister McEntee identified protecting children online as a key priority for her engagement at the summit. "As digital technologies become an ever-greater part of children’s lives, we must work together to ensure they have access to age-appropriate, safe and empowering digital experiences that support their learning, development and wellbeing," she said. This focus aligns with recent UK government plans to legislate restrictions on social media access for those under 16.

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Protecting children online will be one of my key priorities at this summit.

The summit, hosted by Guernsey's Chief Minister Lindsay de Sausmarez, aims to foster closer collaboration and shared expertise to develop effective solutions for protecting children across the participating islands. The British government is expected to be represented by Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones.

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As digital technologies become an ever-greater part of children’s lives, we must work together to ensure they have access to age-appropriate, safe and empowering digital experiences that support their learning, development and wellbeing.