Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for attending here today and making his presentation. At the outset of his presentation he refers to the involvement of both Governments and the necessity for them to have a hands-on approach in what are at times delicate situations surrounding the implementation of the agreement. The Minister is involved in putting in place an implementation plan for the outstanding issues and that is very welcome. If there is a down-side to all of this, it is that there is no Unionist participation in this committee. It would be very beneficial to everyone if they did take part. Unfortunately, they have not done it as of yet. I also compliment the chairperson and other chairpersons on the work they have done in respect of outreach into communities in the Six Counties, in particular, going into the most affected areas, be they loyalist or Nationalist or republican areas. All of that is very important. Last week, we had people from a UVF background here. This is a useful exercise because it is only by dialogue and listening to people that we can help to resolve it.

The Minister spoke about legislation which will be required to establish some of the mechanisms to deal with the legacies of the past. Does he have a timetable for that legislation? Will there be similar legislation in both the North and the South? Will this committee be consulted in advance in respect of the status of the legislation?

The Irish language issue, the bill of rights, the Pat Finucane inquiry and other outstanding issues have not been resolved. These issues were not part of the talks. Have provisions been made to deal with these issues? Will the Dublin-Monaghan bombings be part of the mechanism to deal with the legacies of the past? Is there a commitment from the British Government on dealing with the legacies of the past?