Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I refer the Taoiseach to two ministerial orders on today's Order Paper, SI 86 and SI 87. Basically, they seek to extend the existing framework for decommissioning purposes. As the Taoiseach will recall, this was provided for in the Decommissioning Act 1997, immediately after the Good Friday Agreement. The regulations were made and were intended to comply with the commitment in the agreement that decommissioning would be completed within two years. Each year since the Taoiseach has extended them, in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and now the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, seeks to extend them again. I merely ask how this may be reconciled with the background against which this is being done, the attitude of the Minister, as articulated in the House and outside and whether it would not be more in keeping with the Government's position and more prudent in terms of the wider issue to allow the regulations to lapse. Then if the circumstances change, the regulations could be re-entered.

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