Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 60, 70, 147 and 150 together.

The Government has been clear and consistent on the issue of policing in Northern Ireland. Through the progressive implementation of the Patten report, the PSNI has undergone a wide-ranging transformation in recent years, and is now one of the most accountable policing services worldwide. It merits the active support of all sections of the community in Northern Ireland.

Therefore, we have called on all political parties to support these new policing arrangements. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated in the Dáil on 4 April last, there are no substantive reasons in terms of policing reform for any further delay by Sinn Féin in endorsing the new policing arrangements. Such endorsement should include participation in the policing board and district policing partnerships. Sinn Féin should also encourage Nationalist communities to co-operate with the police in the prevention and detection of crime, thereby helping to implement the core Patten recommendations on policing within the community.

Regarding the degree of implementation of the Patten report, we fully agree with the assessment of the independent policing Oversight Commissioner that the policing reform process in Northern Ireland has been remarkable and unprecedented. I also acknowledge the unstinting efforts of the SDLP on the policing board on which, working together with such committed independent members as Denis Bradley and others, it has been instrumental in driving the Patten project forward over the past five years.

Given the complexity and ambition of the project, a number of outstanding issues remain which require attention and about which both Nationalist parties in Northern Ireland are concerned. For example, these include the low level of Nationalist representation among the civilian staff in the PSNI and the recent decision to give primacy to MI5 for intelligence matters. Both the SDLP and Sinn Féin seek reassurances that their concerns regarding these issues will be addressed. The Oversight Commissioner will report on the outstanding recommendations in his forthcoming report which is due out in the coming weeks.

However, I emphasise that these few outstanding issues should not preclude Sinn Féin from endorsing policing. The absence of that party from the policing board and district policing partnerships is the most significant omission in terms of implementing the Patten recommendations. In the context of the ongoing political process, support for policing remains a critical element in implementing a new political dispensation for Northern Ireland.

In the joint statement made in Armagh on 6 April last, both Governments recognised the importance of policing and the need for progress on that front. Clearly, the more progress made on policing the better the climate of trust and confidence that will be engendered. Both Governments want to see such progress and the Government wants Sinn Féin to take the necessary steps without delay. Equally, however, both Governments are clear that it is not helpful at this stage to set preconditions or to erect new barriers to political progress.

The Government wants the policing issue to be resolved in the context of a restored Executive later in the year and will continue to work to resolve this and other outstanding issues in the period ahead.

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