Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

To return to the policing issue, I listened to the reply the Taoiseach gave to Deputy Ó Caoláin. I want to underline the urgency about getting the policing and justice issues devolved. First, it was agreed and therefore that agreement should be implemented. Second, all of the parties represented on the Executive support the devolution of policing and have expressed that view publicly. I suppose it is a unique set of circumstances in Northern Ireland in that the main political parties representing a wide cross-section of the communities in Northern Ireland now accept the policing service, the necessity for policing and the public control of that policing.

At the same time, there are disturbing signals in Northern Ireland, including a situation I mentioned earlier involving the relationship between the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister, a sense of exclusion by the other two parties represented in the Executive and the worrying signs of the emergence of a new generation of dissidents. It cannot be in anybody's political interest or the interest of any of the parties represented on the Executive to delay the devolution of policing and there is a window now, before politics in Northern Ireland moves into the Westminster election phase, for that devolution to be completed. It is something the two Governments will have to try to leverage in some way. I urge the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is present, to proceed with that because the circumstances are right for it. The political climate in terms of acceptance of policing across the communities is right also and it would be a tragedy if that opportunity was missed because of obstacles being raised which had not been raised previously.

See this speech in context