Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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It is hugely important that we in this House collectively put our heads together and work to bring about an all-party, cross-community response to the recent flag protests in the North and the violence that is accompanying them. We know from the recent census figures that Belfast is a changed city and is no longer dominated by Unionism. The issue of flags and symbols in City Hall is a sensitive one but that does not mean it should be ignored or put aside. The city needs to be representative of the people of all traditions who live there and not simply Unionism.

The recent controversy of the flying of flags over City Hall can be traced back as far as 2004 and the issue has arisen through a variety of equality tests, legal advice and council committees. Belfast city is a shared workplace and those who represent that city have to reflect that and give cognisance to it. Under equality legislation in the North and in the interest of creating a good and harmonious working environment, it is important to ensure employees and those who use City Hall have their cultural and political identities respected and are not made feel unwelcome. That is a primary role for elected representatives in that area.

A proposal was placed before a council to remove the Union Jack from Belfast City Hall totally but it was not accepted by the Alliance Party and a compromise position of only flying the flag on designated days was democratically passed by the council in accordance with the equality legislation. Many people are confused not only in this country but in Britain and elsewhere as they cannot understand what is happening.

The DUP and the UUP cynically tried to use the issue in a bid to undermine the position of Naomi Long as MP for east Belfast and distributed 40,000 leaflets. Many parties were supposedly opposed to the flying of the flag on designated days - in the past the DUP, the UUP and the PUP all voted in favour of the flying of the flag on designated days. What is happening in regard to this?

One of the positives is that nobody has been killed so far. We have been lucky that nobody has been killed. Also, they are not getting large numbers on the protests. Again, that is a positive. People are asking what exactly is happening and how did this come about. In the Tánaiste's view, is this about criminality? Is it about court cases coming down the line - supergrass court cases? Is it about the number two in the UVF in east Belfast facing drug charges at the moment?

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I must ask the Deputy to conclude.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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What about the other night and £100,000 worth of drugs being found in the area? Are there underlying factors in regard to what is happening?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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At the heart of the shocking violence that has spilled across the streets in Belfast in the past six weeks and the economic damage it has wrought is a profound problem with how politics works in Northern Ireland. If politics is not clearly about the bread and butter issues of making people's quality of life better, it will all too quickly revert to being all about flags, emblems and parades and the bleak chronicle of flashpoints that have defined public life in Northern Ireland for too many people for far too long.

My critique is based on a deeply held belief that the Executive can and must work for ordinary citizens. It is the belief that the peace process was supposed to be much more than just an absence of violence. If the Executive is not making real progress in tackling head-on the challenges people in the North face on a daily basis, we cannot be surprised when a section of society unleashes chaos and brings a city to a standstill. I condemn unequivocally and unreservedly what has happened in terms of the disturbances and the impact they have had on business, jobs and the quality of life of people.

Some have dismissed the riots as just a Unionist problem. I think that is a mistake because those of us who want to advance republican politics know what the peace process must deliver for all communities. It is also a mistake because disregard for the rule of law is not simply confined to angry thugs in east Belfast. As recently as November, for example, we watched as Sinn Féin's justice spokesperson led 300 protesters on a picket of PSNI headquarters in east Belfast.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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It was a peaceful protest.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, I acknowledge it was a peaceful protest because the party was unhappy with the direction of a PSNI investigation and wanted one of their own released from custody. The idea of political parties deciding who should and should not be arrested is no longer a tenable proposition for any party to promote.

Deputy Crowe rightly raised questions about the motivation behind certain people in east Belfast behind this and about arrests. That is exactly the point I am making but we cannot have it both ways. The PSNI and reform of policing in the North was central to the peace process. It was one of the great developments that was commented on worldwide, the Patten reforms, and parties must be very careful in their actions that they do not undermine that in particular.

It is time for the Executive - I ask the Tánaiste in his talks and for both Governments to engage on this issue with the Executive - to up its game, for all those from Sinn Féin to the DUP to approach this vital work with real honesty and not to indulge in the tired old sectarian scripts and gross hypocrisy that unfortunately has scarred much of what the Executive has been doing.

Too many political parties have been playing to their electoral bases and in their comfort zones for far too long. If there is fresh honesty of endeavour following the events of the troubled past few weeks, Northern Ireland will have taken a major step forward. All of us collectively need to de-escalate the situation. For example, calling for a Border poll at the weekend is wrong in its timing, will move us in the opposite direction in reducing tensions, will be interpreted in the wrong way and is not developed in adopting a collective approach. It could even inflame matters more.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I thank both Deputies for raising this issue. In the light of the ongoing protests and tensions in Northern Ireland, there is a need for broad political agreement among the political parties on a way forward. In recent weeks we have seen widespread street violence in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland. We have seen attacks on the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI, including the attempted murder of police officers, as well as widespread attempts to intimidate public representatives and their families. I have condemned these events unreservedly.

I have remained in contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Ms Theresa Villiers, and the party leaders in Northern Ireland throughout. In the past week I have spoken to Mr. Peter Robinson, Mr. Martin McGuinness, Mr. David Ford, Mr. Mike Nesbitt and Mr. Alasdair McDonnell. I will be travelling to Belfast tomorrow morning to meet the Secretary of State, as well as the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. Officials of my Department continue to work closely with the British Government and political representatives in Northern Ireland to identify ways to address not just the current crisis but its underlying causes. Tomorrow's meeting will discuss with the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister a positive way forward and the two Governments will be providing them with all necessary support to find solutions to the current problem. We will continue our efforts, but they must support rather than supplant those of the Executive and elected political leaders.

Irish Government officials visited St. Matthew's Church and the Short Strand community yesterday and have reported extensively to me on the situation locally. I am concerned by reports that the attacks on houses in the Short Strand were premeditated and I condemn them. I will be discussing this matter with the Secretary of State, as well as the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister, when I meet them tomorrow. I hope to visit the Short Strand area and other community interfaces in the near future.

The persistence of sectarianism in Northern Ireland, with the absence of political agreement on how to make progress towards a truly reconciled society, contributes to the likelihood of incidents such as those we have witnessed in recent weeks. Building relationships between divided communities takes time and sustained effort and investment. The recent violent street disturbances are a reminder that the challenge remains to build a society that can accommodate competing and, sometimes, contradictory notions of identity. It is incumbent on all political leaders to show that democratic politics works and is the only means through which positive change can be brought about.

It would be simplistic to suggest the street protests are a result purely of the decision by Belfast City Council to fly the union flag on designated days only. Dealing with the legacy of the past and current contentious issues, manifestations of that legacy present challenges that will be at the core of the work of the Northern Ireland Executive, party leaders and the Northern Ireland Assembly for some time to come. The parties in Northern Ireland must learn to resolve issues around flags and symbols in a respectful and consensual way as we work towards a society based on respect for difference, as well as tolerance for the traditions and multiple identities on the island. The blight of sectarianism affects both Nationalist and loyalist communities and contributes to grievances on all sides.

My Department, through its reconciliation and anti-sectarianism funds, assists projects in interface areas designed specifically to address the root causes of sectarianism, defuse tensions and pursue new and more effective ways to tackle sectarianism. In the past two years direct small grants totalling almost €300,000 were awarded to local community groups operating in predominantly loyalist areas in Northern Ireland. Projects supported include programmes at women's centres, support for youth outreach services to the Nationalist community and re-imaging of murals and emblems. Funding is targeted at groups which have the potential to transform attitudes in their communities.

The majority of people in Northern Ireland want to see an end to street violence. The rioters are, in effect, wrecking their own communities. This year has the potential to be a great year for tourism in Northern Ireland. That potential must not be jeopardised by the recent terrible images from Belfast that have been beamed around the world by international media. The economic cost of recent events is becoming apparent. Apart from the cost of the policing operation - estimated at £7 million - foreign direct investment, the retail trade and tourism are all at risk. The director of the Confederation of British Industry in Northern Ireland has warned about the economic damage being inflicted on local businesses, tourism and investment.

It is my hope that out of this setback we will see a redoubling of efforts to achieve a genuinely reconciled society in Northern Ireland. It is a reminder to all that the peace process is exactly that - a process which still has some way to go. Political and security co-operation on the island has never been better and we can rely on these relationships of trust and the resilience of the Good Friday Agreement to create space for progress beyond the current difficulties.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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We all agree that peaceful protests can be healthy and positive in defusing tension. It should be a democratic right in any society for its members to protest. The difficulty, however, with these protests is that they are illegal and violent, with people and their homes being attacked, which has terrified them and prevented many from going to work. The other difficulty is that Unionists cannot solve this problem on their own; they need to involve their neighbours. It is incumbent on us all to become involved in these discussions that, I hope, will lead us out of this mayhem.

We had all hoped we had moved beyond conflict. The reality is, however, that there is much more work to be done. There is a responsibility on us all not to take cheap shots on this issue. It can be resolved but only by people sitting down and talking to each other.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Last October I made a significant speech at Bodenstown on the issues in the peace process on the island. I warned that we were not reaping the full dividend of the Good Friday Agreement and that its potential was not being realised. As a former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and watching events unfold, I made the criticism – not by way of a cheap shot – that politics in the North was not working. As the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade said, there are deep underlying and profound reasons we are witnessing these street protests. That is not to excuse anything and I unequivocally condemn what is going on. Unfortunately, however, one has the terrible sense that politics has not moved on from the tired old scripts on parades, emblems and flags. I understand the importance and significance of symbolism in Northern Ireland. However, bread and butter issues have not been addressed by the Executive. Those on the ground in disadvantaged areas, both Nationalist and loyalist, have not reaped the dividends of the Good Friday Agreement. It seems a new effort and initiative are required to have a far more effective, anti-sectarian policy and drive.

The funds provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been effective in reconciling community groups in interface areas. Should there be a significant expansion of these funds? Should there be greater collaboration with the British Government and the Northern Executive to adopt a far more expansive approach to an anti-sectarian and cross-community reconciliation agenda? We also need to deal with critical issues such as the fact that the North still has the worst indices of child poverty, particularly in west Belfast, that school completion figures are low, particularly in loyalist areas, and that health indices are poor. There is a need for a fresh initiative on these fronts.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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It is important that we recognise progress has been made. Deputy Micheál Martin will remember, as he was directly involved, that there was a time when it was stop-go with the institutions in the North. They were up and running, before being suspended and are now up and running again.

Since then there has been a prolonged period, including an election period, where the Northern Ireland Assembly has been running, the Executive has been operating and we have seen increased devolution. We have also seen improvements in several areas of the economy, tourism and so on. This is important for the normalisation of society and a de-escalation of the security apparatus and environment and so on. It is important to acknowledge that progress has been made.

I agree with Deputy Martin that Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided society. Let us consider Belfast, the number of peace walls still in existence there and the number of divisions throughout the community. There is a considerable amount of work to be done to tackle sectarianism. One of the great strengths of the Good Friday Agreement is that it allows for a mutual respect and a respect for both identities. That must be handled with great sensitivity. There is no point in replacing one form of triumphalism for another or one form of victory for another. We must work towards a shared society in Northern Ireland. As Deputy Crowe noted, Belfast is a shared working space for the people who live there and Northern Ireland is a shared space. We must work towards that shared future and society.

Much work has been done on the North-South side. This morning I referred to the 50 meetings which have been on bread-and-butter issues including education, health and co-operation on transport. We have also seen the progress that you have made, a Cheann Comhairle, with the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly in bringing together the two parliamentary bodies. All of this represents progress but we must ensure there is no going back.

What we have seen in recent weeks has something of a recall of the past about it. The images of burning cars from Belfast are the wrong images to be communicating internationally for Northern Ireland and for this part of the island. We need to work together to ensure that progress is maintained. In the first instance the political leaders in Northern Ireland, including those in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Executive, must work as one in order that there is no return to the ways of the past. It is also important to appreciate that the numbers involved in recent weeks have been relatively small. We need the Police Service of Northern Ireland to get on top of it. Respect and support for the police service is vital. As far as the two Governments are concerned, we intend to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that progress is made. Certainly this is the approach that I intend to take on behalf of the Government.