Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I welcome the legislation which the Labour Party supports. We will facilitate its quick passage through the Seanad and Dáil by not tabling amendments. Northern Ireland is not my area of expertise but, on reading through the legislation, I can see it is part of the bigger picture in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the adherence to democratic means over violence for political ends.

While we cannot go backwards, progress is disappointing from a party political point of view. While I am not happy with the result of the election, one must put it in context. People voted overwhelmingly for the Good Friday Agreement both here and in the North. There are many reasons that people vote for a particular party in elections. The important point is that they voted and used democratic means to express their wishes. I do not think this is an endorsement of anything other than a peaceful way forward for Northern Ireland.