British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body
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The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB) (Irish: Comhlacht Idir-Pharlaiminteach na Breataine agus na hÉireann) (now called the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA) was established in 1990 to bring together 25 members of the United Kingdom Parliament and 25 members of the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament) to develop understanding between elected representatives of the UK and Ireland.
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[edit] History
Strand 3 of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement then established the British-Irish Council which involves the constituent countries of the UK in governmental level dialogue with the Irish government. Strand 3 stated that, as well as government links, "the elected institutions of the members will be encouraged to develop inter-parliamentary links, perhaps building on the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body".
In 2001, it was enlarged to include representatives of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the High Court of Tynwald on the Isle of Man and the States of Guernsey and Jersey.
The BIPA now includes five representatives from the Scottish Parliament, five from the National Assembly for Wales, five from the Northern Ireland Assembly, one from the States of Jersey, one from the States of Guernsey and one from the Isle of Man's Tynwald.
The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly holds two plenary sessions a year. Its four committees (dealing with sovereign matters between the Irish and Westminster parliaments, European affairs, economic matters, the environment and social matters) meet several times a year. They produce reports which are submitted for comment to governments, and which are discussed in plenary. A steering committee organises the work of the plenary and deals with the Body's institutional matters.
The 38th British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly met in Donegal, Ulster on 29 March 2009.[1]
[edit] Cornwall
Talks are being held in 2009 on the possibility of Cornwall becoming a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA). Supporters of the move say now is the time for Cornwall's new single council to "raise its status" and hope cultural links with the other main players will see Cornwall take a step up on the national stage. Elfyn Llwyd, leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru, stated on 24 March 2009 that Cornwall had "a very, very strong identity and this would be helpful for its on-going development".
St Ives MP Andrew George said: "Cornwall has a unique culture, heritage and language which set it apart and, in a world which is becoming increasingly uniform, Cornwall's character and culture will provide a beacon of distinctiveness which will help us to stand out and to show that we can play our part in the celebration of diversity."[2]
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