Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on recent developments in Northern Ireland and the successful completion of the recent talks. The Irish Government and the Labour Party have welcomed the agreement that has been reached. I pay tribute to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, the Minister of State responsible for North–South co-operation, Deputy Sean Sherlock, and their colleagues on their work over recent weeks. Progress has been made in key areas that will allow the Assembly and Executive to return to work.

On paramilitarism, I spoke in this House a couple of weeks ago about the need to strengthen North–South co-operation in this area. I welcome the provisions that have been included in A Fresh Start. The Government is committed to intensifying its focus on combating paramilitary activity and organised criminality and to working in close co-operation with the Northern Ireland Executive on this. There is no need for paramilitaries. The godfathers of crime who are presiding over paramilitarism are not doing so for any patriotic motive but simply to line their own pockets. However, the onus will ultimately be on those with influence over paramilitary groups to get them to work with the new structures and fully support the rule of law.

On the financial and welfare reforms, I welcome the fact that agreement has been reached, yet I must question why it has taken so long. Over two years ago, it seemed a deal on welfare reform could be agreed within the Northern Ireland Executive. Again, less than 12 months ago, following the Stormont House Agreement, the welfare package was on the table. On both occasions, Sinn Féin backed away from the agreement and argued against what was on offer. Despite this, what has been achieved this time? What is so different in A Fresh Start on welfare reform that was not contained in previous reforms? The one major change that has been introduced, namely to allow welfare reform to be legislated for at Westminster, appears to be a fairly spectacular delegation of responsibility by Sinn Féin. Rather than confronting the issue in Northern Ireland and taking responsibility for its decisions, it has simply ceded decision-making power to the British Parliament where its members do not even take their seats. What does that say about a party that has consistently called on the Irish Government to stand up to the troika, the European Union and international bodies? In my mind, it says that Sinn Féin would not be remotely capable of taking responsibility itself, unlike this Government, which negotiated concessions that reduced our debt burden by tens of billions of euro. At the first sign of a major political challenge, Sinn Féin has, at best, simply walked off the pitch. At worst, it is an enormous act of political cowardice.

Speaking before the agreement was reached, I said these talks should not simply be used to achieve another quick fix to get us over the latest political hurdle. That approach has been tried and has failed all too often. There has been much progress, but I am deeply disappointed that it was not possible to reach agreement on dealing with the legacy of the past. Admittedly, further progress was made in this general area. Ultimately, however, the failure to agree key mechanisms leaves many issues unanswered, and leaves many victims and their families and relatives deeply disappointed. This failure to agree could come back to haunt us. It concerns me that we could after all end up in negotiations in which an increasing number of things get traded off in order to make further progress in this area. That approach has not worked in the past. At some stage, we will have to agree on these matters. The Irish Government remains convinced that they should be and need to be addressed. We will continue to work for agreement in this area. I call on the parties in this House to support us in those efforts.

I wish to mark the decision of the First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Mr. Peter Robinson, to step down.

As with many politicians in Northern Ireland, he has travelled a journey that culminated in him sharing power and serving as First Minister since 2008. In recent years, he has shown a determination to make politics work and to bring much needed investment and jobs to Northern Ireland. He has also shown a willingness to build positive relationships between North and South for the benefit of all people on the island. Therefore, on behalf of the Labour Party, I would like to wish him well in his retirement.

I also want to acknowledge both the new and former leaders of the SDLP. I and my predecessor, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, worked closely with Alasdair McDonnell in recent years. He led the party at a difficult time and I know that he will continue to serve the SDLP and his constituents with distinction from Westminster. In the same spirit, I look forward to working with his successor, Colum Eastwood, who will bring youth, energy, and a new perspective to his role.

I also want to send best wishes, on my own behalf and that of the Labour Party, to Pat and John Hume. As has been acknowledged by everybody, John Hume has been a lion of the peace process and in many ways its creator. Having heard Pat speak about the current difficulties that he has been experiencing, I would like to send both of them our best wishes.

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