Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation and I thank John Dallat, MLA, and Dolores Kelly, MLA, for their contributions. I fully support the establishment of the civic forum and hopefully we can have the North-South consultative forum established as well. I have tabled numerous parliamentary questions in the House in order to keep it on the agenda. Before the delegation came into the meeting, Conor Murphy, MP, made the point that demonstrates why there should be a civic forum. We were discussing the importance of the Haass talks, the progress made and the disappointment that the process has not been completed. He outlined the importance of the Haass-O'Sullivan talks and he referred to the fact that up to 600 submissions were made by individuals, groups and organisations. These submissions demonstrate that civic society wants to be involved. It is very remiss and if it is a matter of the competence of the Executive then it is a scandal that the forum has not been re-established. I understand that the re-establishment may be a matter for devolution. I wish the delegation well in its work to have it re-established. We need the involvement of civic society. It can suit the public services well to have fewer fora to answer to. I am not making a political point but the abolition of town councils and other bodies is ideal from the point of view of the public service. I mean no disrespect to members of the public service who work in the Oireachtas but I believe it suits the public service to have fewer fora to service and to answer to. The delegation has made a very good case for the need to re-establish the civic forum.