Bertie speaks to Scottish Parliament

The Taoiseach told MSPs people in Ireland had greeted the ‘‘reconvening’’ of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 with ‘‘warmth and gratification’’.

‘‘We welcome greatly the prospect of greater diversity in relations within these islands with, in particular, a distinctive and significant Scottish input,’’ he said.

Dublin had responded rapidly to the ‘‘new political reality’’ of devolution in Britain by opening consulates-general in Edinburgh and Cardiff.

‘‘This was intended to give a clear signal of our desire to build productive links with the new administrations in our Celtic neighbours,’’ he said.

The Taoiseach also hailed the advent of the British-Irish Council as the creation of a framework enabling Irish and Scottish institutions to work together towards common ends.

He paid tribute to Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid, who is a former Secretary of State for Scotland, and told the Parliament:

‘‘The last two years have seen a notable intensification of Scottish-Irish political dialogue with series of high level visits in both directions.