DUBLIN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney on Monday welcomed the British government's introduction of the Northern Ireland budget bill to parliament.
"The introduction of a budget bill for Northern Ireland at Westminster today is a significant development for the political process in Northern Ireland, founded on the Good Friday Agreement," Coveney said in a statement.
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s. The agreement is made up of two inter-related documents, both agreed in Belfast on April 10, 1998.
"A budget for Northern Ireland is a matter that should be considered and decided on by the power-sharing executive and assembly. As there is no executive in place at present, the necessary budgetary decisions cannot be made by the devolved institutions," the Irish foreign minister said.
"In the meantime, a statutory basis for the continued funding of public services in Northern Ireland is required," he said.
But he said this step has been taken by the British government "with reluctance and at the latest possible stage in order to seek to preserve the role of the devolved institutions to decide on budgetary and other matters within their responsibility when they are operating again".
In the statement, Coveney said he was deeply disappointed that no agreement was concluded to form an executive after several phases of negotiations in different formats.
"The taoiseach (prime minister) and I continue to engage with the British government and the parties in Northern Ireland to give full effect to that commitment," he said.
On Monday, the Northern Ireland party talks broke down and the British government introduced a budget bill for the region at Westminster.
Northern Ireland has been without an executive for more than 10 months since the January collapse of power-sharing arrangement.
Despite protracted negotiations, Northern Ireland's two largest parties Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have been unable to reach an agreement to restore power-sharing.
