Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

On Deputy Sargent's questions, the institutions are not up and running but we would be wrong to think that a huge host of other matters are not moving or that successful jobs are not being done. The real basis of the peace process is that people in Northern Ireland are living in peace and moving towards better human rights and justice. That is due to the work of the policing board, the parades commission, the review of criminal justice, oversight commissioners and, in different ways, the work of Ms Nuala O'Loan. There are a great number of successful groupings, never mind North-South bodies, which are working and moving ahead.

Admittedly, the main element which we want to see are the institutions but we should not discount the efforts of people involved in political parties, including politicians, and others who are working on these matters, as well as the ongoing demilitarisation of Northern Ireland which is moving apace in terms of fewer security personnel and decreased army involvement. These are all positives and will hopefully lead us to the necessary breakthrough.

On the Finucane issue, we have made our views clear and the British Government is aware of them. We have pressed and used all our powers of persuasion on this issue. They have not shown a basis for movement on this. We have not considered walking away from everything just because of that issue but the British Government is very clear about the annoyance of the Irish Government and this House, because it has been expressed time and again.

The talks process is ongoing and wherever it is useful or necessary for us to have talks between the parties here, we are glad to do so or to brief them. I have always said to the parties that when they are coming here from the North, they should meet people from other parties too and engage with them. That has been improved on a lot in the last year or two.

With regard to Deputy Higgins's question, I will raise the matter again and I assure him that I did so last year. I will raise the proposals about the immigration issue. I have taken a very keen interest in the Kennedy legislation and have been supportive of it. There are a number of proposals on the matter but we will raise it again this year and have done so through our ambassador and more recently through the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, who was in the United States and had a number of meetings. The Attorney General will do likewise this week, to make our position clear and to try to help the plight of Irish immigrants.

The United States is well aware of the Government's view that those detained at Guantanamo Bay should be treated in accordance with the requirements of international human rights and humanitarian law. When we held the Presidency of the EU, I made these views known to the President of the United States at Dromoland Castle. I have raised the matter since then and will continue to make our position clear on the issue and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, is doing the same. We will continue to co-operate with the European Parliament and the Council of Europe with regard to the investigations around the issue of rendition.

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