Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 13, inclusive, together.

There are ongoing contacts with all Northern Ireland political parties. I last met Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party on 30 March. The Northern Ireland Assembly reconvened for the first time in three and a half years on Monday, 15 May. Its purpose is to prepare for the re-establishment of the devolved Executive as soon as possible and, in any event, before 24 November. We believe this is a fair and reasonable deadline.

We hope that the creation of the preparation for Government committee, which met for the first time on 5 June, will allow all the parties to engage with one another and begin addressing the issues relevant to the restoration of the Executive. We want to see early progress made to this end. Yesterday's announcement on arrangements for chairing this committee is welcome although I am conscious of the time already lost. It would be deeply disappointing if constructive effort and engagement could not be reported when the British Prime Minister, Mr. Blair, and I meet the parties in Belfast later in the month.

Time is limited and it is therefore essential that all the parties seriously commit themselves to the process that Mr. Blair and I initiated in April. In particular, there is an obvious need for the DUP to engage with Sinn Féin. These are the parties with the largest mandates and the largest responsibilities. They will occupy the positions of First Minister and Deputy First Minister in the event of restoration. It is important that they and the other parties use the time available to address the issues that stand in the way of restoration.

The Governments have repeatedly said that we hope that a plan B will not be necessary. However, as joint stewards of the process, we have also made clear that such a plan will be implemented, if necessary.

I met the Prime Minister, Mr. Blair, on the margins of the EU, Latin America, Caribbean Summit in Vienna on 11 April. At that meeting, we briefly discussed the return of the assembly on 15 May and our hopes for the restoration of the Executive.

On 22 May, I met Mitchell Reiss, the US special envoy to Northern Ireland. We discussed current developments, including our common wish for the earliest possible restoration of a power-sharing Executive.

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