Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister. Before discussing matters pertaining to Northern Ireland, it is appropriate to mention that President Vaclav Klaus has signed the Lisbon treaty into being in the Czech Republic. I am sure all Members will welcome the coming into being at last of the Lisbon treaty in the near future.

I thank the Minister for his comments on Northern Ireland. This debate was listed on the Order Paper as statements on developments in Northern Ireland and consequently it covered a wide range of issues. Members were unsure as to what precisely would be discussed. However, the workings of the Good Friday Agreement should be discussed in this House and I regret to note this is the first time Members have had an opportunity to speak in this House on the North-South Ministerial Council and the North-South institutions. I firmly believe the Seanad should be used to debate the conclusions of meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council as it is an ideal forum in which to have such debates and discussions. The Oireachtas should be informed fully of what goes on at such meetings on a regular basis. The Minister should arrange for this to happen on a more regular basis. As I noted, this is the first time Members have discussed what goes on at North-South Ministerial Council meetings, which is a matter I intend to address.

Certainly, as the Minister noted, the establishment of a devolved parliament in Northern Ireland has allowed politicians to deal with the ordinary business of political life on items such as the economy, tourism, law and order and all the other matters with which any government must deal. I welcome the progress that has been made in this regard. The Minister also noted that the parades issue continues to be a problem, which undoubtedly is the case. This issue must be addressed by full engagement from all sides and tolerance and a recognition of the concerns of each side should be paramount at all times when trying to reach agreement on this issue, which has caused so many problems through the years.

I recently read the communiqué on the most recent plenary session of the North-South Ministerial Council, which discussed issues of great importance in respect of co-operation between North and South. It spoke of the close co-operation on the recent outbreak of swine flu, which is an issue that affects the entire island of Ireland. It also spoke of the framework for the removal of waste that was illegally dumped in Northern Ireland and significant progress has been made in this regard. There also has been progress on the introduction of mutual recognition of driving disqualifications and a co-ordinated approach on the introduction of lower blood alcohol limits. The latter certainly is an item that has taken up a considerable amount of time in recent weeks. It is a matter that, particularly in respect of penalty points and driver disqualifications, should be addressed by the North-South Ministerial Council. Moreover, I suggest that agreement on this issue should be possible in the near future. The council also discussed the important subject of intensified co-operation in respect of child protection and Internet safety. In addition, progress was made on suicide prevention, including proposals for revised media guidelines to incorporate advice on new technologies, including Internet-related suicides.

The development of a draft all-Ireland animal health and welfare strategy also was discussed and progress was made on co-operation in this regard. In addition, a joint programme of research has been commissioned by the Loughs Agency for the development of a European-wide research programme on the use of genetic techniques to identify the origins of salmon caught at sea. This is another area which is highly important for fishermen and the marine community on an all-Ireland basis. Education and approaches to the integration of newcomer children in schools also has been discussed by the North-South Ministerial Council and continued co-operation is ongoing in this regard. Tourism is a major issue on which there has been considerable co-operation in the recent past and early decisions are required on the achievement of efficiency savings in the business plans of the North-South bodies and Tourism Ireland.

As for the impact of cutbacks in the South on the North-South Ministerial Council, the Minister should state whether cutbacks that may impinge on the council and associated structures will be communicated to Oireachtas Éireann before being discussed by, or communicated to, the Northern Ireland Executive. Members of the Oireachtas must be informed of matters that will affect the North-South Ministerial Council. The council's 13th conclusion welcomed "the establishment of two working groups, by the Oireachtas and the Northern Ireland Assembly respectively, to progress discussions on the establishment of a North South Parliamentary Forum". I have concerns regarding what I consider to be-----