Taoiseach Micheál Martin has suggested Sinn Féin may set back the cause of Irish unity by aligning itself with Scottish and Welsh pro-independence parties.

Mr Martin questioned whether Sinn Féin was on the right strategic track after the party yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the SNP and Plaid Cymru to put pressure on the UK government to call unity referendums in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Along with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, the leaders called on the British government to “prepare for, plan and facilitate constitutional change”.

The group, who met in their capacity as party leaders – rather than as officials in their respective governments, also stated their ambitions for partnership around the economy, energy and international co-operation.

Speaking to the media at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan in Co Offaly this afternoon, the Taoiseach was asked about the move by the three parties in Cardiff and by comments made by Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill at the event that he was not doing enough to advance the cause of Irish unification.

“Fundamentally, I would disagree,” said Mr Martin.

“I’m not into campaigning, but I would make the point that strategically we have never embroiled Northern Ireland in British politics. We’ve always identified the north as exceptional, as being an issue in terms of the partition of Ireland.

“And I think strategically I’m not clear that Sinn Féin is on the right track at all, and may even set back unity by that move that they’ve made,” he said.

Taoiseach’s role is to advance relations, Martin says

Mr Martin said his role as Taoiseach involved working with the UK government to advance and progress relations between the UK and Ireland; between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; and between the two main traditions north of the border.

“That’s how the Good Friday Agreement came about – that the two governments anchored that with all of the political parties in Northern Ireland, developing principles such as parity of esteem, respect for each other’s traditions, and endeavouring to move in a reconciled way towards the future.

“Fianna Fáil is a party that believes in Irish unity, and we have made our significant contribution, particularly to peace on the island of Ireland, in respect of the Downing Street Declaration, of course, the Good Friday Agreement and, latterly, the Shared Island Initiative, which is the most consequential initiative of any Irish government since the Good Friday Agreement – there can be no question about that.

“And it (Shared Island Initiative) is being very, very well received in Northern Ireland, across the border and across the island actually as well, and we will continue to make progress on key issues.”

Mr Martin said his current focus was on progressing new mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Troubles and on examining reforms to the institutions established under the Good Friday Agreement.

Budget will take into fuel, energy prices into account – Taoiseach

Mr Martin also said the upcoming Budget will take into account the impacts of fuel and energy prices, ahead of fuel supports unwinding from 1 November.

This morning, the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) said the Government were “fooling themselves” if they believed fuel prices will have fallen before that date.

However, Mr Martin said the Government knew the situation had “not taken a turn for the better” and that the Budget would provide an opportunity to “take pressure off people”.

He said: “The budget is only a few weeks away. We have to look at the whole energy question in the round, not any specific area of that.

“And we understand fully the pressure is on people, on farmers, on people in general.

“And we know the situation has not taken a turn for the better because of what’s happening in the Hormuz Strait, and indeed in terms of other trading routes because of war and conflict and so forth, so we’re very conscious of that.

“We’re very conscious of the global impacts on fuel and on energy prices. And the budget gives us an opportunity across a number of fronts to try and take pressure off people through income tax reductions, through reducing childcare costs, to dealing with costs of disabilities as best we can, and in addition, then to other specific measures, as we have already, you know, we have probably put forward some of the highest compensatory packages of any government across Europe in respect of this crisis.”

Earlier, IRHA President Ger Hyland called for the Government to subsidise biofuels that can be produced within the EU.

He said: “The view of the IRHA is that fuel prices will get worse before they get better. Government are in a difficult place. Fuel prices are not coming down in the short to medium term.

“The only real solution is a move away from fuels imported from volatile parts of the world and a switch to biofuels which are produced right here in the EU.”

Additional reporting PA