Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

While I am grateful to the Minister of State, perhaps the clarification in the long reply was insufficient. After the meeting at Farmleigh, the joint statement issued by the two Governments suggested that Sinn Féin needed to confront the issue of policing once and for all. It noted that by the summer, the Governments wanted Sinn Féin to give full recognition to the PSNI for the first time and to join the policing boards. This would clear the way for the devolution of policing powers to a restored Northern Executive.

However, in an interview conducted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, with The Irish Times — this is a separate issue on which I have my own view — he suggested that Sinn Féin's participation in the policing board was not a precondition for the devolved functions and powers which will be assessed in November. Which is it? That is a straightforward question.

Is the Minister of State aware that he has described a kind of conundrum which cannot be resolved? Is the Government in favour of Sinn Féin joining the policing board so that afterwards powers would be devolved in respect of policing, its control and whatever would be satisfactory? Or can one have the institutions working first, with Sinn Féin's relationship with the policing board to follow, even though the Minister of State has paid tribute to the decision of the SDLP to participate? The Minister of State cannot have it both ways.

Does the Minister of State agree that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has handed an instrument to the DUP? That is to say, the Patten reforms have not been completely implemented and the Minister of State has clarified that point to an extent. However, one can hardly state that non-completion of the Patten reforms through the non-participation of Sinn Féin is a valid reason if one has resiled from the commitment of both Governments after the Farmleigh meeting to suggest that Sinn Féin should participate as quickly as possible.

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