Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister. It is interesting to receive an update and have a discussion on developments in Northern Ireland, particularly on standing agreements. This House has been spoken about and has spoken to itself about its future function. One of the functions that has been strongly mooted is a stronger role in Northern Ireland affairs, not only in assessing the ongoing political situation but also in having identified roles. Senator O'Toole has mentioned how we lack a direct link between the British-Irish Council and this Parliament. In much the same way as we seek interaction with members of the Cabinet after European Council meetings there could and should be a role for this House in respect of ministerial meetings of the British-Irish Council. I put that to the Minister for his consideration.

There have been many positive developments which the Minister outlined in his speech. All Members of the House take succour in the fact that the process is in a relatively healthy state and is going in the right direction, especially the further moves in decommissioning by the INLA and the move by the UDA towards finally getting rid of the gun in Northern Irish politics. This is something that all right-thinking democrats on this island should welcome.

The further progress of the peace process depends on the development of the three strands of the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement. The most important relationships are those within Northern Ireland. The publication in September of the Department of Justice Bill is an important final piece of the jigsaw in bringing about a fully functioning Northern Ireland Assembly. We would all like to see that legislation placed on the Statute Book as quickly as possible.

Those of us who have had the opportunity of visiting Stormont regularly - my party is an all-island party and we have one member of the Northern Ireland Assembly - are struck by the fact that in Stormont there used to be a Northern Ireland Senate. This was removed when the former Northern Ireland Parliament was removed in 1972 and is now used as the main committee room of the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is one of the more poignant aspects of the Stormont building that there is a plaque outside it dedicated to the memory of two members of that Senate who were killed as part of the ongoing conflict. A Member of this House, Senator Billy Fox, also suffered in the same way. We should never forget those who committed themselves to public life and paid the ultimate price.

The addition of Unionist parties to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, formerly the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body, in the last number of meetings is welcome. The presence of DUP and UUP members ensures the body has a full complement. It was interesting that at the last meeting, which was held a number of weeks ago in Swansea, there was a presentation from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission headed by Monica McWilliams. Following on from the comments made by Senator Mullen, it is important that this aspect of the Good Friday Agreement and St. Andrews Agreement is also followed through because we need not only a rights Bill in Northern Ireland but also a charter of rights such as was envisaged in those agreements so that we can have a consistent approach to rights across this island. Our own Irish Human Rights Commission must continue to work in parallel with this body and must be given the necessary resources to carry out its work.

The final aspect of developing relationships and maintaining progress on the peace process is the North-South element. I mentioned already that this House could be more involved in the British-Irish Council. The Office of the Ceann Comhairle and the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly have been making progress on the idea of a parliamentary assembly between Northern Ireland and the Houses of the Oireachtas. We should encourage that work to be completed as soon as possible because it is an important part of the jigsaw which has so far been left hanging. If we have as many opportunities as possible to interact with those from Northern Ireland and discuss and develop common areas of policy, the tragedy that was Northern Ireland for 30 years can finally be confined to the pages of history books.