Mr. Peter Bunting:

Deputy Smith is quite right. I have a copy of the Fresh Start panel report. Both Mr. McFeely and I gave evidence to it on a number of fronts. Paragraph B8, on page 35, reads:

The Department of Justice should revisit the framework related to the separated regime and arrange for an independent review to be undertaken examining the operation of the separated regime, evidencing the need for any changes and providing useful information for stakeholders to take forward.

That has never happened.

The second point is of equal importance. Paragraph B9 states:

Whilst ensuring that all prisoners are treated fairly, the Department of Justice should ensure that appropriate learning and training opportunities are provided to prisoners in the separated regime.

That does not happen. The initiative has been constantly thwarted, and deliberately in my opinion. Excuses are made such as they cannot get an Irish language teacher. One can walk out of the prison, turn left and turn left again for about three miles to west Belfast where it is no problem to get 150 Irish teachers. They would all volunteer to visit the prison to provide education.

There is another important point in the report that is hugely instrumental and important. Paragraph B14, on page 36, states "The UK and Irish Governments should consider a mechanism being put in place for a limited period to deal with any future decommissioning of residual weapons or materiel."

The term "Irish Government" refers to you guys. The paragraph offers an opportunity to those who continue to practice paramilitarism, if we get the prison thing sorted, to move into that arena. We could have 66 reports saying the same thing but we will never resolve the situation until we get the prison thing sorted. We know from republican history that paramilitaries will not move away from armed conflict until there is a conflict-free environment in the prison. They will not leave behind their colleagues in a prison where they are harassed, bullied and treated unfairly. If we have a conflict-free environment in that prison, then and only then, we can start making some degree of movement on that recommendation about future decommissioning. We will not do so unless we sort out the prisons and my comment is for both Governments.