The newly appointed secretary of state, Sir Chris Bryant, will be visiting the Republic of Ireland on Monday for the first time since taking office.

Sir Chris will be in Dublin for a series of engagements, meeting with government ministers as well as UK and Irish business representatives.

Speaking ahead of his engagements, Sir Chris said he was committed to working with ministers to uphold the Good Friday Agreement and to "deliver on the commitments on legacy that both governments have made".

He emphasised the importance of UK-Irish economic ties and added he was also there to make the case for Northern Ireland's "immense economic potential".

The secretary of state will hold bilateral meetings with Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, and Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan TD.

They will discuss shared priorities, including economic growth, joint security, and both governments' commitments on addressing the legacy of the past.

The Labour government is bringing forward legislation to repeal and replace parts of the previous Conservative government's Troubles legacy legislation.

The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill was introduced at Westminster last year, following agreement on a joint framework with the Irish government. It aims to establish a new approach to dealing with the legacy of the Troubles, while introducing additional safeguards for veterans.

Legacy issues are likely to be a key point of discussion during Sir Chris's visit to the Republic of Ireland on Monday.

Earlier this month it was revealed that the application deadline will not be extended for a scheme that was set up to provide recognition and financial support to people living with permanent physical or psychological injuries as a result of a Troubles-related incident.

During his visit on Monday, Sir Chris will also attend a roundtable with key business leaders from across the UK and Ireland to discuss boosting cross-border trade and encouraging investment.

"The UK-Ireland relationship is fundamental to our shared security and prosperity, and has been significantly strengthened over the past two years," he said.

Sir Chris visited Northern Ireland in July and said he was coming to Northern Ireland with "a checklist of things I want to get sorted" rather than a chequebook.

He was visiting Northern Ireland for a series of engagements, which included meeting the political parties at Hillsborough Castle.

Parties in the Northern Ireland Executive had been calling for increased funding from the government so they could set a budget.

He said the parties had already made strong representations to him about funding but said he wouldn't have "a set of decisions for people".

Sir Chris Bryant was appointed to the job following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Cabinet reshuffle last month.

He said his appointment came as a quite a shock, describing the role as "daunting".

The secretary of state told BBC News NI that his new role demanded "such phenomenal responsibility" and said a border poll on Irish unity was "not on my list of priorities at the moment".

The Northern Ireland role is Sir Chris's first cabinet position, although he held a number of shadow front bench roles under Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn.

He joined the Labour party in 1986 and has served as MP in the Welsh constituency of Rhondda and Ogmore since 2001.

The Welsh MP is a former Anglican priest but quit the church in 1991 over its stance on homosexuality.

He and long-term partner Jarred Cranney were the first couple to enter a civil partnership in the Palace of Westminster in 2010.

In 2023 he was awarded a knighthood in recognition of his campaigning work around acquired brain injury and melanoma - a type of skin cancer.