Sir John Major:

The new Secretary of State is taking a very keen interest in it and reaching out perhaps more than some of his predecessors have done. That is very wise. I am a little reluctant to go into any detail on the legacy proposals, however, but will explain exactly why. Time and again during the period 1990 to 1997, people who were not familiar with the talks going on privately said something publicly that created an impediment to what was in the course of being agreed. I am not privy to the private discussions on the legacy issue. I am no longer in Parliament and not part of any negotiations or discussions that may continue, so I am reluctant to comment publicly for fear I may do the same damage to the talks going on there that frequently happened during the early 1990s because of people like me who cared about the issue but did not know exactly what was going on behind closed doors. For that reason, I am reluctant to respond publicly.

I do take on board the concerns about the legacy proposals. Some of them are going to be extraordinarily difficult to deal with. They do have to be dealt with. There will be a need for a great deal of consultation both north and south of the Border to ensure the proposals, which are now in the House of Lords and will of course have to go back to the House of Commons, will insofar as possible bring comfort to the people bereaved in the Troubles and deal with the other issues that arose subsequently. It is another reason that reinforces the point the Senator made in her first question, that is, the point on the essential need for a close, continuing relationship, occurring as a matter of course, between Ministers in London and Ministers in Dublin. I hope the Senator will understand why I do not wish to go into details. I am not involved in these negotiations and do not wish to do anything that might unsettle them in any way. That would be possible if I spoke without knowledge.