Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I congratulate him on the work he did leading up to the Stormont House Agreement. It looked to be dead in the water and then the Minister rode in like the Lone Ranger and he sorted it out. I know there were others involved but the Minister played a massive role. I am sure after this gig he will be heading for the United Nations.

After so many years of the Legislative Assembly we appear to be going through a difficult patch. Does the Minister believe the d'Hondt mechanism served its purpose and that it might be better to move to a different type of arrangement? Is there any talk about such a change in the foreign affairs circles in which the Minister moves? That leads me to the transfer of powers to the Assembly. Deputy Brendan Smith referred to diesel laundering, much of which is a revenue matter. It is a Treasury issue rather than a North-South issue in terms of dealing with markers and VAT rebates if that is necessary. However, the issues could all be thrashed out on a North-South basis if power was more devolved. What is the position in terms of the devolution of powers?

I wish to discuss 1916. Is it intended to have 1916 commemorations in the North? I very much welcome the fact that Deputy Pearse Doherty welcomed the programme of events announced to commemorate 1916. I hope any commemorations in the North would not be triumphalist or be seen as exclusive, which could lead to friction. It is important that commemorative events in the North would be inclusive and would look to the future because we must share this island.

Diesel laundering is a major problem. Currently, there is a fragmentation in the criminal system. There is an opportunity for Revenue and the Garda to take control of the situation in a way that has not been done before which deals with both sides of the Border. Deputy Smith has long spoken on the issue, as we all have. I have spoken to those directly involved in trying to bring the activity to an end. Extra resources are required. I concur with the point made by Deputy Smith that the investment would pay for itself. Currently, the situation is akin to the police forces fighting cannons with pikes. They must be better resourced and some of them need to be better supported. There is a lot of information available but it is not going through the system in the way it should due to lack of resources, including legal resources.