Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senators for tabling this motion and thank all those who have spoken and intend to speak.

The Seanad has given consistent encouragement and support to the Government's efforts in the peace process. Many Senators have played distinguished roles in bringing us to where we are today and the last few contributions say it all. I know nobody will object if I acknowledge the particular contributions of Senators Mansergh and Maurice Hayes. I have the pleasure of knowing Senator Mansergh for 20 years. Because of his unstinting involvement it must be great for him to see how the fruits of his quiet work over the years have brought us to this day. Senator Maurice Hayes has been a very reasoned voice in the past number of years. He is respected by all sides of both communities.

The meeting last week between the DUP and Sinn Féin at Stormont achieved what few believed possible even a few short months ago — a solid basis for genuine, sustainable power sharing government in Northern Ireland. No one could see the pictures we saw that morning and hear the words that were spoken without feeling real hope for the future. It is worth standing back a little this evening to reflect on the path to that moment.

When I spoke in this House in February 2006, the two Governments were about to embark on a concerted effort to achieve restoration of the institutions, following developments in 2005 which saw the Provisional IRA declare an end to their armed campaign and subsequent confirmation of decommissioning. Those developments changed the context within which we had been working to restore trust and confidence in a political process which had been hampered by a series of events over a number of years. They gave us a basis on which we could begin to re-engage with the parties to rebuild political momentum.

I said in this House last February that the job of the Governments was to convince all sides of their political responsibility, as leaders of society, to complete the journey to a fully inclusive, stable and peaceful Northern Ireland. As a result and later that month, Peter Hain and I began intensive discussions with the parties to try and build the confidence needed to move the politics forward. The year 2006 was punctuated by formal talks and informal contacts with the parties and ultimately culminated in the talks in Scotland last October which led to the St. Andrews Agreement. That agreement underpins the Good Friday Agreement. It set out a clear way forward for all parties to commit to the full operation of stable power sharing government in Northern Ireland and to full support for policing and the criminal justice institutions.

All-party support for policing and the criminal justice institutions came earlier this year with the decision at the Sinn Féin special Ard-Fheis in January to support policing as set out in the St. Andrews Agreement and subsequent delivery on the ground of that commitment. On 7 March — less than four weeks ago — elections were held to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The results showed overwhelming support for power sharing among the people. Political parties who campaigned against progress simply did not get votes. The mandate for Northern Ireland's politicians was clear. In the days that followed the election and in the run-up to 26 March, intensive negotiations took place involving parties and governments. On 26 March we saw Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sit down together and agree to share power from 8 May onwards in the devolved institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. They also agreed to carry out important advance preparatory work for government.

The Governments agreed to accommodate this new requested date for restoration in view of the absolute commitment to the restoration of the Good Friday Agreement institutions by 8 May and the intensive preparations for government about to commence. Those preparations are now well under way. Ministries have been already informally allocated among the parties. Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness have been meeting as future First and Deputy First Ministers.

I agree with the speaker who referred to the request to Peter Hain to vacate his office. It was amazing that just two days after 26 March, a letter signed jointly by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister was sent to Peter Hain asking him to vacate his office. For those of us who have been closely involved in the process and while we may not have believed it would happen, this was the first clear indication it would happen and that it was for real.

The initial work of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister is very encouraging. It augurs well for the future stability of the power sharing Government. More fundamentally, it heralds a new chapter in the history of this island.

A further important signal of emerging positive political relationships on this island was the meeting the Taoiseach and I attended this morning at Farmleigh with Ian Paisley, the future First Minister and his son, Ian Paisley Jr. The Taoiseach and I had an extremely friendly and very businesslike discussion with Dr. Paisley on a range of matters of mutual interest. Reference was made to the parliamentary tier. I can assure Senator Maurice Hayes this was discussed and I hope favourable consideration will be given to it in due course. Dr. Paisley accepted the Taoiseach's invitation to make an early visit to the Battle of the Boyne site to review the excellent work being carried out to preserve and enhance our shared history and heritage. The Government has committed €15 million to the building of an interpretative centre and museum on the site of the Battle of the Boyne. We assured Dr. Paisley we stand ready to work with the new Executive in a spirit of sincere and genuine friendship. We also underlined our commitment to invest in infrastructure projects benefiting North and South under the national development plan. It is clear the major challenge we both face, North and South, is securing prosperity and economic growth. By working together on an all-island basis we can better deliver for all of our citizens.

For the first time, the Irish Government is making a major investment in infrastructure development in Northern Ireland, announced together with the Chancellor's financial package on 22 March. We will invest more than €580 million on roads to address the major infrastructure deficit in the north west. The agreement to develop a dual carriageway standard road to Derry and Donegal removes the single greatest impediment to the future development of the north west and the Border counties in that region.

The national development plan has set out proposals for a number of further initiatives which were discussed with Dr. Paisley, including restoration of the Ulster Canal, the bridge at Narrow Water between County Louth and County Down, co-operation in the provision of public services and further all-island development funds in areas such as tourism and regional development. We were pushing an open door on each and every one of those proposals.

I look forward to working with the incoming Northern Ireland Executive to bring to fruition all these proposals and to an open dialogue on practical mutually-beneficial co-operation. Restoration will mean the North-South Ministerial Council will be active once again, with Ministers from both parts of the island engaging on important issues for the mutual benefit of our people. This was referred to at our meeting with Dr. Paisley. There is a firm understanding that the North-South Ministerial Council will meet shortly after 8 May and perhaps on a date in the month of June.

When the Council met in the past, Ministers from both parts of the island made outstanding efforts to pursue the common commitment to advance co-operation. A functioning Executive will be also able to play its full part in the work of the British-Irish Council. The Taoiseach stated that we looked forward to working with the Executive in that regard. Restoration will also mean that the North-South Bodies can once again function fully. There is significant work for them to do and it is hoped they will begin after 8 May.

The date of 8 May next will therefore stimulate a new level of North-South engagement and co-operation. Senators will be interested in the development of the North-South Parliamentary Forum as envisaged at St. Andrews. There will be also further discussion on the establishment of an east-west interparliamentary framework following appropriate consultation with the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body.

I know many Senators are committed and active members of the Body which has played such a valuable role in developing mutual understanding and good relations between Ireland and Britain. I was co-chairman of that Body for a number of years. As we move into this new phase, we are committed to developing an enduring partnership between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, a partnership founded on prosperity as well as peace.

We could not have come this far without the consistent political and practical support of our friends around the world, particularly in the United States. Our friends in the US Administration, in the US Congress and across Irish America, made the search for lasting peace in Northern Ireland their concern. Successive American Presidents have stood firm with the British and Irish Governments as they sought to bring this process to conclusion. Our friends in the US Congress have helped to maintain international focus on developments in Northern Ireland. Their views and input have been critical. Earlier today I was delighted to host a lunch for a congressional delegation led by Richard Neal, chairman of the Friends of Ireland group. I understand the delegation was here in the Seanad this morning to observe its deliberations. I wish to record my special thanks to Mr. Neal and his predecessor, Congressman Jim Walsh, who was also present this morning on their tireless work for peace in Northern Ireland.