Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Is the Taoiseach saying he is opposed to the whole idea of a shadow Assembly or simply to one not premised on the basis that the executive would be up and running by a set date? I presume the Taoiseach agrees that, as we approach the eighth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, a great deal of the goodwill created by it is in danger of dissipating. After his meeting with the British Prime Minister in Brussels on Friday, will he be able to state how soon the two Governments might produce proposals?

If the Taoiseach's answer to my first question is that the two Governments might be prepared to consider the notion of an Assembly provided there were a commitment to reviving the executive within a short period, what would the implications be for the North-South bodies?

I would like to ask the Taoiseach about something on the Order Paper yesterday relating to whether he believes the decommissioning announced last year and supervised by the de Chastelain commission was actually completed. I ask because yesterday's regulations made provision for the immunity from prosecution granted to people involved in the process to continue for another year. Why was that decision made, and does the Government have information suggesting that it is necessary to extend the order?

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