Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach views the North as a foreign country. Rather than facing across the Border and extending a hand of friendship to all the people of the North, he faces away and turns his back on people there. I ask him to reflect seriously on what I am saying. His Government should develop a strategy to fully implement the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements, as it is obliged to do.

What was the outcome of Sinn Féin's outrageous negotiation? The total value of the British Government's revised financial proposals now amount to almost £2 billion or twice what was originally offered. This sum includes £650 million of new and additional funding, including up to £500 million over ten years of new capital to support shared and integrated education. Crucially, there will be no reductions in welfare payments under the control of the Executive. The new welfare protections are unique to the North and in sharp contrast to the austerity driven welfare system being rolled out in Britain and the austerity driven focus of the Government in Dublin. Anti-poverty measures will be funded and remain in place.

Significant progress was achieved on the wider political issues. The Minister and Minister of State will recall that I described this as a defensive negotiation, one in which Sinn Féin defended what had been gained previously and was being diluted as a result of the ongoing process. The progress achieved included the defeat of an effort to close off access to inquests for families of victims of the conflict. Glacfaidh an dá rialtas le stádas agus meas a bhronnadh ar an Ghaeilge ag teacht le Cart na dTeangacha Réigiúnacha nó Mionlacha ó Chomhairle na hEorpa.

Work has also commenced on the devolution of additional fiscal powers needed to grow the economy. A detailed proposal was agreed on a commission on flags, identity, culture and tradition, including its make-up and remit. Legislation on parades will be prepared with proper regard for fundamental rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights. The Parades Commission also remains in place. All these measures are Haass-proofed.

The Historical Investigations Unit will have the full co-operation of all relevant Irish authorities, including disclosure of information and documentation. Important changes to the working arrangements of the Assembly and Executive were also agreed.

As with all previous agreements, the Stormont House Agreement is only as good as the determination of those involved to implement it. It is another key staging post in the peace process. The priority must now be to implement it.

As I stated, the involvement of the two Governments since this Government took office has been totally inadequate. While I commended the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and the Minister of State in his Department, Deputy Sean Sherlock, on their role, the Tánaiste's presence at the talks is still a matter of wonderment to me. She had the right to attend and I welcome her involvement but I still have not figured out what her role was because she did not say anything in my presence during the talks.

I urge the Government to accept that the success and stability of the peace and political process in the North and the all-Ireland institutions are bigger and more important than any shortsighted, selfish electoral political agenda. The North is generally raised by other parties in this Chamber as part of a futile effort to score political points against Sinn Féin. Some of the progress that has been made has been the subject of ill-informed and untruthful comment, including by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and leader of the Fianna Fáil Party in this debate. For example, it has been claimed that the agreement will result in redundancies in the public sector. While this may have been the intention of the initial proposals put forward by the Governments, there will be no compulsory redundancies. The Stormont House Agreement provides for a voluntary redundancy scheme for public sector workers who wish to avail of it. The scale of the take-up will be driven by public sector workers and balanced with the need to maintain public services. Sinn Féin will not repeat the mistakes of the Government by allowing a scheme to undermine public services in pursuit of savings. Any scheme will be agreed in consultation with the trade unions and Executive Ministers.

I remind the House that the peace process is the most important political project on this island at this time and it needs to be nurtured, protected and enhanced. It must be at the top of the Government's agenda alongside other priorities.

I welcome the financial commitments that have been made, including €25 million in annual funding for the A5 road project, which will assist people in Tír Chonaill, Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone. I welcome additional funding for reconciliation under the European Union's PEACE and INTERREG programmes and the Government's renewed commitment to the Narrow Water bridge and Ulster Canal projects. These are important developments which need to be delivered.

Separate from the developments in Stormont House, the Government must also take action on the extension of voting rights to citizens in the North in presidential elections. Speaking at the Constitutional Convention in a previous ministerial role, the Minister for Foreign Affairs indicated he was in favour of the proposal to extend voting rights and I believe he was serious and genuine at the time. The decision by the Government not to proceed with the recommendation of the Constitutional Convention on this issue is deeply disappointing and lets down many people in the North who, as Irish citizens, believe they should have a say in the election of the President of this island.

The joint paper tabled by the Taoiseach and British Prime Minister is not the paper agreed at Stormont House in the absence of the Taoiseach and Prime Minister. I very much welcome that because the proposal was not sustainable and was entirely inadequate and in breach of the Government's obligations under the Good Friday Agreement. I very much welcome the Stormont House Agreement. For God's sake, let us work together on this very important issue for once as opposed to trying to score political points.

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