Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

commends the patient and consistent efforts of the Government to secure the conditions necessary for full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement through restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland and fully functioning institutions;

gratefully acknowledges the consistent political and practical support to the process from friends overseas, especially in the United States;

commends the two Governments and the parties in Northern Ireland for the efforts which led to agreement on 26 March to full restoration by 8 May;

urges the Government to continue to give priority attention to securing full implementation of the St. Andrews agreement in line with the new agreed timetable;

commends the two Governments for their work in preparing a financial package to support the incoming Executive and to underpin closer North-South co-operation;

urges the parties to take full advantage of this historic opportunity, to consolidate the progress already made and to conclude their preparations for Government in time for full restoration on 8 May; and

calls on the Government to work closely with the new Executive and the other institutions of the Good Friday Agreement in promoting peace and prosperity for all on this island.

We are glad to be able to table this motion in the Seanad this evening. It commends the Government and many others, whom I will mention shortly, for the effort they have put into securing the conditions necessary for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement through the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland and fully functioning institutions. When I speak on this, it is important to point out that four weeks remain before the positions will be taken up. Since the arrangement was made, however, there have been daily announcements from the two main parties in the North that have kept the momentum going. Dr. Paisley visited the Taoiseach in Farmleigh House today and I am sure they discussed matters of mutual interest in Northern Ireland.

There are many people to thank and commend since the Good Friday Agreement, which was hailed as the new dawn and we were all innocent enough at the time to believe it was. Little did we know the steps that remained to be taken as time passed. There were other false dawns but throughout that time, the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement and the heartfelt support for it, North and South, was important. It was like going up a flight of stairs, where we had to keep going on to the next step until we reached this point.

On several fronts, this is a great opportunity for Northern Ireland. Business opportunities are hugely important and Dr. Paisley no doubt stressed that in his conversation with the Taoiseach. The two largest parties went to England to lay out their stall and they received a generous hearing and a financial arrangement, if everything holds fast. The financial package contains something for us because it includes funding for the Belfast to Dublin railway line.

The St. Andrews Agreement must be implemented in full in line with the new timetable, with full restoration by 8 May. I had feared that the five week period for the new, agreed timetable would allow time for mischief making and disruption but I now feel that will not happen.

We should remember those who made such massive contributions to this agreement, such as George Mitchell, who put so much work into the Good Friday Agreement. It also behoves us to remember the 3,000 people who died in the conflict and the huge sacrifices made by so many. Winston Churchill once said that jaw jaw is better than war war and he was right because it is always better to talk, no matter what outrage has been committed. It is always better to pick up the pieces and to get together again. For this we must pay tribute to the civil servants who put great effort into cementing the agreement and ensuring talks continued no matter what hiccup there was on either side. Who would have thought we would have such an outcome, and that the 82 year old Dr. Ian Paisley, with his lovely fedora hat, would now be the new pin-up of Northern Ireland because he has agreed to enter the power sharing arrangement?

The motion acknowledges the consistent political and practical support to the process from friends overseas, especially in the United States. All of the trips to the United States and the bowls of shamrock by various Taoisigh, the constant talking, have resulted in what we are now praising in this debate.

Should we not pay tribute, too, to the combined efforts of many political parties, particularly in the Republic? Former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey sowed the first seeds. This initiative was followed by former Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, who decided his job was to knock heads together and to become involved in a vibrant manner. The next Taoiseach was John Bruton, who made important steps forward in his formidable style and manner. He was followed by the current Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, who took momentous steps and is still in charge, from our end, of the whole Agreement initiative. All four had the interests of Ireland at heart as well as what was happening in Northern Ireland.

I shall move on to what the Northern Ireland Executive is seeking as regards its taxation regime. It wants a lowering of corporation tax to enable Northern Ireland to compete for foreign direct investment in the same way we do. The British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gordon Brown, has laid out a review mechanism whereby the implications of what this would mean for Northern Ireland will be looked at. I am confident that whatever emerges from that review will be significant, effective and suited to business development in Northern Ireland. It is pivotal that we all work together on this island so that all of Ireland is seen as an attractive place in which to do business, We shall then have done a very good job. It was dream of many in the past that an all-Ireland peace initiative might be nurtured and developed along these lines.

The motion calls on the Government to work closely with the new Executive and the other institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. Members of the new Executive are being announced on a daily basis. While it may seem strange to us to hear many of the names with which we are familiar from the deputations to Leinster House over the years, it still makes interesting reading. The new Ministers will have plenty to occupy themselves with in the coming weeks, reading their respective briefs and assimilating all the information provided by the Civil Service there.

The people in Northern Ireland have been consistent in their voting. When they voted on this occasion, however, the two major parties were given a clear signal to the effect that they wanted them in government in Northern Ireland, rather than being ruled from Westminster. All of the issues such as health, education, roads and transport which are of daily import to the lives of people will, hopefully, now be dealt with by the devolved Northern Ireland Executive.