Mary White (Fianna Fail)

It is with a heavy heart that I participate in this debate. I have been overwhelmed with sadness since I heard the declaration by the British Prime Minister that the elections would not proceed. That was a serious mistake. However, my heart has been lifted by the cross-party consensus in the House. I thank Senator Brian Hayes, Senator Coghlan and Senator Ryan who gave a good example.

The Oireachtas is united in supporting the people in Northern Ireland. The Nationalist population in particular need to know of our steadfast support. They look to us for progress. Yesterday morning I called for the report of the Stevens inquiry to be followed up. The chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales called for a public inquiry. On 24 April, The Economist magazine referred to the activities revealed by the Stevens report as Britain's dirty war and also called for a public inquiry. The army and police officers in Northern Ireland named by Sir John Stevens are suspected by him of collusion in the murders of Pat Finucane and the student, Brian Lambert.

I was overwhelmed by sadness when the election was postponed as we are trying to push constitutional politics in the North. I am hopeful today having witnessed the empathy across the House. I would like the Minister of State to ensure the Government will pursue the putting in place of a public inquiry based on the Stevens report and the publication of the Barron report into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. People are frustrated that there is no report which gets to the heart of the bombings. The Government should also demand that a date for elections is set. Apart from this, there is no point in repeating all that has been said already.