Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The position is clear. Collectively, the two Governments and all the parties did an enormous amount of work last year and the previous year. That is set out in the joint declaration and in the working documents that were presented on 8 December in a complete position. If we get a definitive answer from Sinn Féin, for which both of us have asked, about how to deal with decommissioning and, as Deputy Kenny said, if we can get the progress that we were close to getting on 8 December, it would be helpful to the process now and into the future. The second issue is an end to paramilitarism and the related issues of criminality. That is the position.

As we both said yesterday, in a strange way the position is clear now. All the work on various aspects of equality, human rights, demilitarisation and other important issues is documented and listed and the position we are at is now in the public domain. There are no secrets about it; everybody knows it. We can build on those if we get a clear position, which means a road that brings us to the end of criminality, decommissioning and paramilitarism. We have addressed those issues as well. It is really a question of whether people are prepared to do that or not. I hope people are reflecting on that.

It is worth putting it on record again that the reason this is so important is that there is no possibility of getting any trust and confidence back with the parties if we cannot answer those questions. This is a difficult enough year anyway because of the local elections in the North, the general election in the UK and the UK having the presidency of the G8 and the EU Presidency. If we do not get clear positions on these issues, therefore, there is no possibility of us being able to build up trust and confidence over the months ahead. I have now talked to all of the parties. I had spoken to some of them before reporting to the House last week. I have spoken to all of them now and that is the position of all parties. It is not a question of the Government being able to move forward. There is no possibility of getting anywhere until we get answers to those questions.

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