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

I welcome our guests. Mr. Osborne gave a clear outline of the situation pertaining in Northern Ireland at the moment in relation to the need to build on the reconciliation work. Unfortunately, he also paints a gloomy picture. That gloom regarding certain parts of civil and political society in the North comes to us through other channels. Mr. Osborne states quite rightly the important role of both Governments as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. Both Governments need to be involved practically on a daily basis. I am not making a political point. It is a point I made to the previous Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, and I also made it to the current Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Flanagan.

On the Haass proposals, I have argued consistently that the two Governments should be part of those particular negotiations on the basis that when we had substantial progress - the Downing Street declaration, the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998 and the St. Andrews Agreement - the two sovereign Governments were the driving agents in making that progress. I have argued constantly since the end of December last year when, unfortunately, the talks did not end on a successful note that both Governments would have to be more than bystanders or interested observers. They would have to be in the room and part of the negotiations.

I welcome the statements of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Theresa Villiers MP, at the end of September and of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Flanagan that it appears the new round of talks will have the active involvement of both Governments. I sincerely hope it will and I think it is absolutely necessary. We cannot allow these issues to continue to be a sore point. They have to be dealt with. It is as simple as that. We are 16 years on from 1998 and the theme, as Mr. Osborne has clearly outlined, running through the Good Friday Agreement was reconciliation. We had, for the first time, an agreement that gave us an inclusive political architecture for all of Ireland. This was overwhelmingly endorsed by all the people of this island at the end of May 1998. What the people ratified and adopted has not been implemented. We can point to the failures, the deficits and the work of both Governments.

We can also point to the deficit and the work in the Northern Ireland Assembly and in the Executive. Some of the outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement - Acht na Gaeilge, the establishment of a North-South consultative forum, the need for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland - are all devolved issues. The Bill of Rights must be agreed between all parties in the Executive and in the Assembly. The commitments in relation to Acht na Gaeilge were devolved, if I recall correctly, in the St. Andrews Agreement to the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, with the agreement of the Executive being required. On the establishment of the North-South consultative forum, I asked during Question Time in the Dáil on Tuesday who is threatened by a civic forum. It is a no-brainer that it should be established. Both as a party spokesperson and as part of the work of this committee, I have spoken to many communities who feel they have no voice and that no one represents them. Surely civic society could play an important role in that respect. While it will not satisfy entirely the needs of every community, we need to get those structures in place.

Mr. Osborne mentioned one other thing that I wish to address. I would always be quite wary of establishing another body. One of the things I have thought, as a representative of two southern Ulster counties, Cavan and Monaghan, is that we have had far too much duplication and in some instances not the optimum return on the investment in different projects over the years. This was because projects grew as the situation emerged and that was understandable. There is a case for greater co-ordination and less duplication. I am concerned when Mr. Osborne says there is a need for a body which would have an overarching architecture to pull together all the reconciliation work and ensure adequate funding is provided. I understand what he has in mind and I can see the value of it but I hope it would not be just another body to add to the numerous existing bodies. The do exceptionally good work in very straitened circumstances, as outlined by Mr. Osborne. Surely a Department should have in its remit the provision of funding for reconciliation work, which is very important, and the Department should be the agent to ensure the groups are adequately funded and there is a proper return to the taxpayer. What has been outlined to the committee, and it is an issue that should be of concern to it, is that the work and the lack of funding is in crisis. That is an issue we need to take up and raise in representations to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and with whomever we can.

The violence in Belfast on Monday night or Tuesday morning, when there was an attack on the police patrol and there was also a bomb alert, is of concern. These are criminals who are commonly referred to as dissidents. I do not use that word. The term "dissident" had a certain meaning but, unfortunately, these are criminals masquerading as dissidents.

Another concern I had was the statement by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, MP, over recent days that she would establish a panel on contentious parades. I fear this will undermine the work of the Parades Commission. The Parades Commission, particularly the previous one - I am not sure the present commission is as strong - did good work in very difficult circumstances. To have another review or panel examining the Parades Commission's decisions, which did not suit some communities, could be dangerous. I hope my view is wrong, but I suspect it is not. My sincere thanks for the presentations and for the work of the different groups over the years. We are all aware of the work of Mr. Kennedy, who met us many times here in the Oireachtas in different guises.