Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 12, inclusive, together.

The period since the dissolution of the 29th Dáil has seen tremendous progress in Northern Ireland, with the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive and the appointment of Dr. Ian Paisley and Mr. Martin McGuinness to the positions of First Minister and Deputy First Minister, respectively. The North-South Ministerial Council and the North-South bodies have also been restored to full operation.

I expect the first meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in plenary session to take place shortly in Armagh, with the next summit meeting of the British-Irish Council also to take place shortly in Belfast. Final arrangements for the two meetings are currently being made.

I have met Prime Minister Blair on several occasions recently. On 8 May, we met in Belfast, when we attended the restoration of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. We met again on 15 May in London, when I addressed the joint Houses of Parliament in Westminster. We also met on the margins of the European Council in Brussels last week.

Prime Minister Blair is leaving office tomorrow. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to him for his immense contribution to the improvement in relations between Ireland and Britain and his historic role in helping bring peace to this island. He has earned the eternal gratitude of the Irish people and, I am sure, of all sides of the House for that work.

I have not yet made any formal arrangements to meet his successor, Mr. Gordon Brown. I extend my best wishes to the new Prime Minister as he takes office and look forward to maintaining and improving the excellent relationship that now exists between our two countries.

On 15 May, I had the honour of addressing the joint Houses of Parliament in Westminster. In my address, I spoke about the significance of putting the past behind us and laying the foundation for the future. I emphasised the importance of moving forward and building on the new partnership between Ireland and Britain. I offered the view that this was not only a partnership of peace but also other common interests — of people, culture, business and sport.

I met Dr. Ian Paisley on a number of occasions recently. We had a very businesslike and friendly discussion on a range of matters of mutual interest at Farmleigh on 4 April. The meeting represented a very significant demonstration of how the relationship between our two traditions has developed. On 8 May, I met Dr. Paisley with Mr. Martin McGuinness in Stormont for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and their appointment as First and Deputy First Minister. I then met the First Minister on 11 May at the Battle of the Boyne site. The event was also attended by representatives of both traditions on this island and public representatives from North and South.

Prior to the restoration of the institutions, I met Dawn Purvis, MLA, the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, on 24 April. It was my first opportunity to discuss the situation with Ms Purvis since her appointment as leader. I reiterated my determination that the peace process should leave no one behind and my hope that loyalism would now move on. I welcomed the subsequent statement by the UVF that all its active units have been deactivated, all weapons have been put beyond reach and that targeting has ceased. I also made clear the need to see progress on the issues of criminality and decommissioning.

There have been suggestions in the past that we reconvene the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, or a similar body, so that it can focus on reconciliation and the plight of victims on all sides. The question of dealing with the past is crucial and requires our ongoing attention. I am open as to the best means of making progress. I welcome the establishment of the independent consultative group to be jointly chaired by Archbishop Robin Eames and Denis Bradley. While our focus must be on building a better future for this island, it is right that we think again about how we try to address the human legacy of an appalling conflict.

Looking to the future, the Government will continue to maintain close contacts at different levels with the British Government, with the Northern Ireland Executive, with the political parties and civil society in Northern Ireland. Officials from my Department are in regular contact with officials from Office of the First and Deputy First Minister through official channels. Several meetings have been held since the restoration of the Executive and these contacts will continue. There are also formal procedures in place for liaison on the North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council.

We will also continue to work closely with the US Administration. I was very glad to meet a high level delegation from the United States, led by Senator Edward Kennedy and Special Envoy Paula Dobriansky, in Stormont on 8 May. I expressed my continuing gratitude for the US contribution to the peace process. The special envoy has since had a number of meetings with officials to discuss the future US contribution, which I expect to be mainly in the economic arena. I have no formal plans to visit the United States this year, although it is possible I will visit there in September on UN business.

I normally meet the Ireland America Economic Advisory Board during my visit to the United States for St. Patrick's Day and I expect there will be a further meeting on that occasion next year. The Government maintains ongoing contact with the board, primarily through the embassy in Washington.

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