Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

——of risks being taken. We would not be where we are today but for the leadership of the man on my right-hand side, the Taoiseach.

Last week, I visited Antrim and Belfast to meet some of those directly affected by sectarian attacks and street violence this summer. These people and many like them are under pressure as they have not been for many years past. I assured them of my own and the Government's commitment to challenge sectarianism at every opportunity.

Sinn Féin must also show courageous leadership in support of the new policing arrangements. This would be a critical and decisive step towards peace and political stability. No police force is perfect but the PSNI has clearly staked a claim to the trust of all communities. If it is held back, that is due in no small measure to want of support in the communities it seeks to serve. It has earned that support. A vacuum in policing is in nobody's interest. It is certainly not in the interest of the communities most affected by the sectarian violence we have seen in recent weeks.

Opposition Deputies have raised the issue of side deals and I wish to categorically and absolutely assure the House that there are no side deals concerning recent events that have occurred. I have said this previously in public, as have the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. There are no side deals on recent events that have happened, and particularly concerning the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe. The people, either in jail or outside, who had anything to do with his death are not included in any of the understandings or arrangements that have been made in the last number of days.

We also need an end to loyalist paramilitary activity and a start to decommissioning of those arms. Both Governments have consistently said there is no place for any illegally held weapons in a new society that is emerging in Northern Ireland. We are conscious of the challenges that still remain to be resolved but we are also conscious of the real opportunity to fulfil the promise of the Good Friday Agreement. Unfortunately, the agreement has been subject to a stop-start process over the past seven years because of the situation. Nonetheless, I welcome what has happened in recent days. We have been lucky in the friends we have had for many years, not least the United States Government.

I thank all the Deputies who have contributed to this debate. Hopefully, the bipartisan approach will continue in this House.

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