Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I repeat again that the question of on-the-runs is not a side deal. As part of the Weston Park agreement, it was negotiated that OTRs and many other issues would be addressed. The question was included in the acts of completion and all the relevant discussions in 2001 and 2002. The process of dealing with the issue, namely, the introduction of legislation in Britain and the use of Article 13.6 here, were the only issues not worked out at that stage. It was made very clear that the issue of OTRs would have to be dealt with as part of the logic of releasing 444 prisoners who were convicted at that stage and subsequently released over a short period. It was not on the basis of any side deal that this arrangement was made.

We have examined for some considerable time how best we could deal with this matter and we have exchanged information with the British Government on how we intend to do so. There is an agreement that when the House of Commons is finished with the legislation, which I understand passed Second Stage the other day, the Irish Government will deal with the matter. We will draw up the scheme over the next few months. It is expected the legislation will be passed at Westminster by the end of March and we must have our scheme finished by that stage.

Deputy Rabbitte asked if we had an input. He is correct. We made our input but we did not believe that the issue of British soldiers would be included in the Bill. This was not made known to us or discussed with us. We were only informed about this provision around the time of the publication of the Bill. It did not form part of the Weston Park agreement or the Joint Declaration. I did not agree with the British Government's decision to include the issue in the Bill. As the Deputy will appreciate, however, we do not write British legislation, we make an input to it.

The issue of OTRs, as difficult as it is, must be dealt with. I say to Members of the House, because it is always easy to forget, that the reason for all the arrangements we have put in place has been to try to end the violence, killing, mayhem and bombing in Northern Ireland, and to bring an end to IRA military activity and criminality. If we did not deal with some of these issues, there would not have been a hope in hell or a chance in a billion of ever getting to this point. I do not like to say this so bluntly but one must decide which way one wants it. Either one deals with these difficult issues or one has the past. I opted for the former approach and will never apologise for doing so.

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