John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

It is important that we recognise the scale of the achievement this weekend when Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, sat down together to agree a way forward for a power-sharing Executive and the continuation of the Assembly. On Friday, when I took the Order of Business, I expressed the hope that we would have the Executive in place by today and, while that has not happened, I think in the context of what has gone on for 30 years, a few weeks' delay can be tolerated.

It is important to recognise the role of Mr. John Hume and others in bringing us to this day. One such person was a Member of this House, Senator Gordon Wilson, who contributed to peace on this island.