Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's outline of what has been done to date. I hope the processes are also put in place to ensure the agreement is implemented through the workings of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive and also with the co-operation of the British and Irish Governments. Will the Minister take into account the significant concerns that have been outlined by the SDLP about this agreement? Its members have stated that the concerns relate to the agreement being far too silent on very important issues, including the proposed bill of rights, which was a commitment in the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish language Act - Acht na Gaeilge - and the also the re-establishment of the civic forum. They also rightly point out the potential of further co-operation on a North-South and all-Ireland basis for economic development and the development of Irish society, encompassing the Thirty-two Counties. We must be conscious of the concerns expressed by a party which has been the bedrock of progress in Northern Ireland and the development of political institutions on all of the island. I hope the Minister can work with all other parties to ensure those concerns are addressed. The SDLP would not outline concerns as a means of political play-acting but rather from a genuine belief that the issues must be addressed in a more meaningful way. We need to have progress on those issues, which do not threaten anybody in Ireland.

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