Maurice Hayes (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt. I hope he does not mind that I wish to address the spirit of the Taoiseach as if he were still here. It is a great day for the Taoiseach and we are glad of the opportunity to congratulate him on his contribution to the peace process, which is not only enormous but crucial. A mutual friend, Chris Patten, once described the Taoiseach as a "canny operator whose calculatedly unsophisticated style masks a clear mind, a mastery of detail and tactical wizardry". This was in reference to his role during the EU Presidency but it fits the bill on this occasion. I would like to be associated with the remarks of Senator Mansergh, particularly his reference to the work of the public servants who were involved in securing decommissioning.

What I particularly appreciated about the Taoiseach's speech was not only its content but its irenic and generous tone and its focus on reconciliation. The task for this political generation and possibly the next is to secure reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Without that, no other unity is achievable or, if achievable, is worth much. People must dedicate themselves to this task. I too recognise the work done by the Sinn Féin leadership to achieve this and acknowledge what it meant to the republican movement and those who bore arms, whatever our opinion on the use of those arms, to give them up.

Unfinished business remains and one aspect of this is policing. I am grateful to the Taoiseach for his kind remarks. However, I believe the most useful contribution I have made is as a member of the Independent Commission on Policing. I spoke to the chairman, Chris Patten, some days ago and we discussed how all the members believe we did a decent job. Moreover, we all believe the PSNI has made much more progress at this stage than we thought it would. Only one development is needed to bring it the rest of the way and that is the participation of young men and women from republican areas with the support of Sinn Féin. The sooner this is done the better. Punishment beatings and vigilantism, much as we find them reprehensible, are a form of social control. If this is taken away, who will protect old ladies and children from attackers or rapists? There is an absolute need for policing in these areas and Sinn Féin must recognise that. Apart from this, one looks forward to loyalist decommissioning and to a concentrated attack on sectarianism.

My view on the question of direct representation in the Oireachtas may seem strange given my membership of this House.

However, the constitutional principle of no representation without taxation, dating back to the Boston tea party, militates against it. It also runs the risk of subverting the Agreement itself.