Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Chamber. Many Senators had requested this debate and at a chance meeting in Government Buildings the Minister immediately agreed. There was no pomp or ceremony in arranging this debate for which I thank him. This House endeavours to keep up to date on Northern Ireland matters. This Chamber was founded on the premise of keeping Northern Ireland part of its business. Previous Senators were evidence of that.

Confusion existed following media reports of the IMC report. I watched various news reports, including RTE and BBC bulletins, that differed in interpretation of the report. As a Senator, one feels one should know everything but we rely on the media for reports from London and Northern Ireland. Reports of the outcomes of various investigations were quite confusing and I am pleased the Minister has clarified this.

The IMC report indicates continued criminality on the part of individuals who are current or former IRA members. We wanted to hear that comprehensive decommissioning had taken place and that both bodies, the IMC and the IICD, could confirm that. This did not emerge in media reports and today some elements of the print media are still confusing the issue. There is considerable interest in this matter and many people will be confused by conflicting reports.

We should record our appreciation of General John de Chastelain and the IMC and the IICD for the work done and offering opinions readily. I back the soldier in many ways and I think General de Chastelain's reports are always level, scholarly and soldierly. Whichever media outlet ran with the first leak got the headlines.

The Minister believes 2006 will be a decisive year and I agree with him. Like King Canute there is only so much one can do to keep the tide back. It often appears that pessimism and hope, stalemate and progress are mixed. I wonder how the faces can smile and the refuge of good work can be sought, emphasised and presented as evidence of what has happened and will happen. High intellect is required, along with the eternal font of optimism, to ensure valuable work is highlighted as an example of progress. We need reassurance that the Good Friday Agreement is making progress, even if this occurs with varying intensity and some ups and downs. The political manoeuvring must be managed on a day-to-day basis and it is in this field that difficulties arise.

I was struck by the dismantling of military and technical equipment, which is taking place at a greater rate than we would have expected. These military establishments caused great angst to people and the dismantling is a positive step that can be presented as evidence of progress.

Resolution of the policing question is the single most important aspiration we have. I was impressed by the Patten report and the speedy implementation of its main proposals. I am friendly with Ms Kathy O'Toole, a former member of the Patten commission, who is now police chief in Boston. She is from Athlone but comes home regularly and often speaks of meetings in draughty school halls in Northern Ireland and how the commission came to its conclusions.

These recommendations have been implemented except for one pivotal measure that has not happened. We appeal to Sinn Féin and the DUP to take its place on the policing board. This would be appreciated by the people they represent. I do not understand why these two parties have such objections but clearly they have deep distrust of the PSNI and what it will do. "Jaw jaw" is better than "war war" and I encourage them to be part of the solution and recommendations of this board. It remains a major step for these parties and one they must be pondering deeply. Nevertheless, this step must be taken because the Patten recommendations are essential to what must take place in Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin and DUP membership of the policing body would be significant.

The report states that no shootings, assaults, so-called punishment attacks or authorised paramilitary attacks, recruitment or sanctioned robberies have taken place. The term "sanctioned robberies" is amazing as robberies should not take place, nor should they be sanctioned. While criminality still exists, we have moved to another plain. One year ago we would not have had a debate that focused on criminality but now it is what remains of the campaign. Intelligence gathering is outside the bounds of conventional political activity but a great deal has been achieved even though continued effort is required.

I thank Senator Brian Hayes for his generous remarks on the Taoiseach, which I endorse. This Chamber is not known for its heated debates, beyond those on the Order of Business. The Senator acknowledges the Taoiseach's calm presence and lack of baggage, to phrase the Senator's comments in modern jargon. This has been remarkably helpful as the Taoiseach can meet several different groups, all of whom find him approachable, and all have a sense of being dealt with intelligently and calmly. This is a difficult role to play in a country such as ours.

Economic activity will be the clear, shining light of persuasion. The entire island is quite small, particularly in European terms. It makes sense that all people work together, irrespective of the party one belongs to. Historically, we have done so but people tend to forget that. Up until the Act of Union there was a single country, operating satisfactorily and cogently in a commercial and industrial sense. Workers, industrialists and union members should know that it benefits all of us to work together as an island. A population of 5.5 million is small by any standard without placing a physical barrier where those on both sides seek different goals. The plain common sense of having one goal is an economic necessity and was evidenced by the Taoiseach's trip to India. There was no major brouhaha regarding what firms went, who went from them and what was their expertise. It was handled delicately and correctly, in that we knew it was happening but it was not pointed out and there were no loud hurrahs about it. I noted at cumann meetings and at other times many people commented it was good that industrialists from North and South went to India together. People were glad it happened and one hopes the industrialists they met decided that Ireland is a country to do business with on the basis that the people have come together in a coherent body.

I understand the Minister and his official stated the report mentioned by Senator Brian Hayes is available on the Internet. That report is of interest. An outcome will not be reached unless everyone participates. The word "inclusive" is ill-used and over-used, but it is correct to use it regarding a final political solution. Unless everyone is in this together it will not happen.

Senator Brian Hayes discussed the importance of the players in the wider political spectrum moving along the same track. Parties such as the Alliance Party and the SDLP are important players. Debate tends to home in on the two main protagonists, Sinn Féin and the DUP because they were the main vote-getters in the last election, and much flows from that. Many other dramatis personae come and go with greater and lesser impact on the matters of the day. The point made was that whatever progress is made politically between the two main protagonists, the lesser players in terms of vote-getters must be brought along to be part of an overall settlement.

Life is not all fairy stories and "uair amháin fadó fadó". It used to be all fadó fadó but now we live in the present. We can see clearly that the heady optimism of the Good Friday Agreement was necessary at that point. It propelled wider political movement immediately. We would never have managed all we did without it. We keep clinging to that agreement and we needed it to propel us. We now need the continued slog of which the Minister spoke, and it is slog to travel up and down for political talks, pointing out progress made and hoped for progress, while at the same time keeping watch on the wider political implications and the progress of the IMC and the IICD and also keeping economic activity to the fore. All of that involves sheer hard application and work, often without dramatic tales to tell. A debate such as this in which we can mark progress, examine all that has happened and look to the future and the continuation of the persuasion talks for the good of all of the island.