Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In Question No. 22, I asked the Taoiseach when he plans to hold a debate in the Dáil on Northern Ireland. He made a commitment to doing this twice and I would like to see that debate take place. There is a huge amount happening in the North and there is a huge amount the Government could be doing, but it is not doing it. The attitude here among Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party is condescending and patronising towards the parties in the North. I want to see the parties here organised in the North and want to see them knitted into the life of society there. I particularly want to see the Government here facing up to the British Government in ensuring it fulfils its obligations under international treaties. We cannot expect the Unionist leaders who want to dilute, diminish, slow down and protect change to embrace new dispensations when the British Government is not doing so.

I will limit my remarks to say to the Taoiseach that we need a full debate on these issues. The Taoiseach needs to organise some way - on a monthly or some other basis - that we can come in here and give time to deal with nine questions in detail. There is no way I can deal with my nine questions in the time I have been allocated here. I will not deal with the substance of my questions now, but simply ask the Taoiseach to set aside not just sufficient time for a debate, but to provide a systematic way of discussing these hugely important questions. The Taoiseach has said we should not take the peace for granted and we should not. Let us do our jobs and focus on building the peace.

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