Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments. I will, of course, be very happy to continue to make the case very strongly that we in this House and the Oireachtas believe a full public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane should be carried out. I repeat this every time I have the opportunity to address the British Prime Minister directly. It is the view of all parties in the House, without dissent, that it should follow. In talking to the Canadian Prime Minister before the recent G8 summit I actually reminded him of and thanked him for the appointment of Judge Cory and General de Chastelain from his country who were outstanding personalities, particularly General de Chastelain who was probably the man who eventually oversaw the taking of the guns out of the Northern equation. I will be happy to follow that through as firmly, strongly and often as I can.

On the question of a Bill of Rights, I have said when the Deputy has raised this question before, that we are fully committed to the effective implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement. In contacts with the British Government we continue to stress the importance of implementation of all aspects of the Agreements, including a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland which takes account of the separate and specific context of Northern Ireland. We also continue to work with and urge all parties in the Assembly to engage in constructive discussions with a view to reaching agreement on the substance of a Bill of Rights because if a Bill of Rights is drawn up by agreement between the main parties, it could set out precisely and formally the legal rights on which a shared society in Northern Ireland could be based. I believe all parties here, including Deputy Gerry Adams's party, share frustration at the lack of progress in the production of a Bill of Rights, but it is a matter for the parties in the Assembly to do this. I will be happy to associate myself with it in working with the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on this issue.

In contacts with the British Government we continue to stress the importance of implementation of the Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland. It is not to be treated as some sort of Cinderella issue that should be shoved aside. All parties to the Good Friday Agreement recognise the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in respect of linguistic diversity in Northern Ireland, the Irish language and the languages of the various ethnic communities which are part of the cultural wealth on the island of Ireland. The St. Andrews Agreement called on the incoming Northern Ireland Executive to work to enhance and protect the development of the Irish language. The British legislation giving effect to the St. Andrews Agreement included a specific requirement on the Executive to adopt a strategy setting out how it proposed to enhance and protect the development of the language. I hope that specific requirement will be dealt with, as is required in the terms of the Agreement.

Deputy Gerry Adams raised an important matter in respect of the arrest of Mr. John Downey and the impact of the British Government's approach to the "on-the-runs", OTRs, as they are called. I understand Mr. Downey was arrested while in transit through Gatwick Airport on 20 May. He was with his wife and daughter on his way to a family holiday. On 22 May the Crown Prosecution Service announced its decision to charge him in connection with the 1982 Hyde Park bombings in which four soldiers lost their lives. Consular assistance has been provided for Mr. Downey and an official in the Irish Embassy in London visited him last Wednesday afternoon. The embassy has made arrangements to continue to provide full consular support. I do not want to comment on Mr. Downey's individual circumstances, but the peace process has been very firmly bedded down, as are the institutions established by the Good Friday Agreement and they have stood the test of time. I am aware of concerns expressed to me directly about the impact of this arrest and its wider implications. The Tánaiste has also raised them directly with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. I will leave that issue at that point.

The Deputy also raised a question about an incident involving an MLA arising from the Tour of the North Parade on Friday last. I am aware of this incident involving the PSNI and elected politicians at Carrick Hill. As it has been referred to the Police Ombudsman, it is outside my remit to comment on it. Overall, the police handling of the complexities of the Tour of the North parade ensured it passed off without significant trouble. I take the point Deputy Gerry Adams has made about the involvement of community activists and elected representatives in trying to calm situations that could conceivably get out of hand. I expect that everybody here will agree that the setting up of the new police service in Northern Ireland has been one of the big successes of the entire peace process. The recent advances in public confidence in policing should be defended and built upon and protected. I fully recognise the scale of the challenges facing the PSNI on the security and public order front and the widespread concerns about the marching season, so important for the reputation of Northern Ireland, for its integrity and also for the continued good relations between communities. I urge community leaders in Belfast to re-engage with the commitments they made recently in Cardiff to de-escalate tensions to improve the situation. I also strongly support and did so publicly a couple of days ago at a press conference in Derry the appeal made by the First Minister, Mr. Robinson, MLA, the Deputy First Minister, Mr. McGuinness, MLA, the Minister for Justice, Mr. Ford, MLA, and Chief Constable Baggot for calm and respect in the challenging marching season that lies ahead. If everybody could understand his or her responsibilities and the issue of parades and behave properly, this would be a very beneficial outcome for communities in Northern Ireland and society in general.

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