Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Independent Monitoring Commission has given its report and we have seen what it has said, including what it said about the ten killings last year, practically all of which were loyalist. There are issues. It is for me to give a fair position. There were a large number of events in Northern Ireland this weekend to which little or no attention was given. I will not give a blow-by-blow account but there were attacks on Catholic homes, gas-propelled bearings were shot at the home of a member of the SDLP, there were attacks on members of the Nationalist community and there has been considerable trouble in some of the interface areas. There are ongoing events, many of them emanating from loyalism.

As Deputy Rabbitte knows, I have taken an even hand in this and have also engaged in trying to work with the loyalists groups. If one can ease the pressure in regard to those matters, one does not get as much heat in the republican areas.

Obviously, the IRA still exists, recruits and engages in some training but compared with the situation a year or two ago, it has de-escalated. As Deputy Rabbitte knows, we had problems last year with criminality. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform's position on that, whether people liked it or not, helped to break some of those links. There was a debate about whether former IRA people were engaged in criminal activity for their own benefit or for that of the IRA. I do not know. I think that is an open question, but the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform highlighted and put the heat on that. Some people were engaged in it; if not current republicans, then former republicans. Heat was put on them. I do not want to go into what happened and the security information but the Minister highlighted things that were going on in the port of Dublin city. They were not imaginary and there was real criminal involvement. It has been necessary to press that case and to speak about it.

I mentioned some of the remarks made by Dr. Paisley recently. Reading that full speech, some of the things he said were perhaps not too complimentary, including some of the things said about Archbishop Brady. However, behind that is a willingness to try to find a way forward, and many people are trying hard to engage. We know that it is not happening quickly enough, and I continually make the point to the republican movement that, in these modern times — ten years since the first ceasefires, not to mention earlier events — it should not have taken so long. However, that it has taken that long is the position in which we find ourselves. If people are sincere and genuine, we can make progress.

Otherwise, the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning and the International Monitoring Commission will tell it as they see it in their next reports. People will dispute their views and say that some board members are not fair. Despite all those arguments, the bodies are seen internationally as being international bodies. If we do not achieve progress, that is what we will see. They are determined to tell the story as it is. People are realising that it might be an uncomfortable position come October.

I assure Deputy Rabbitte that there are people in the commission and working with it who would be very happy with that. Either people correct their ways, or we will read a great deal more about it. That is not a threat from the commission or me, but a question of putting the facts in the public domain. The process of moving away from paramilitarism and related criminality, the existence of which is disputed, and the question of how people come by their money, will continue to come to the fore if people do not bring matters to a conclusion. All that brings pressure.

I know how everything that we say during questions on Northern Ireland is analysed much more widely than most other things. As we come into the autumn, if we have not moved to devolved government and an administration, someone must start answering for that to the people of Northern Ireland. I will not be slow in highlighting our efforts. However, people will have to answer for their positions. People stood for election and put forward their manifestos last November. The British and Irish Governments are doing all that they can to accommodate dialogue and make it happen. I do not believe we will have devolved government before the summer; that is not possible. However, I certainly hope we will have it by early autumn, or late autumn at the latest — well before the anniversary. It is very clear what is necessary. I need not go into all the detail here in reply to Deputy Rabbitte. I have said in detail what I mean by that and what steps must be taken to achieve that. We must make that progress. People will analyse that. People in all parties and groupings need to help us to bring matters to a conclusion.

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