Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I have known him for a long time. Like Senator Alex White, I was a student leader in the 1980s when I first met him. He has made an enormous contribution and he has much more to contribute to political life in the future.

I also wish to congratulate Margaret Ritchie on her election and to wish her every success in her new role as SDLP leader. The Taoiseach and I met with Margaret Ritchie and the new deputy leader, Patsy McGlone, and Alex Attwood in Dublin last week, and we look forward to working with them in the future. Everyone on these islands owes a debt of gratitude to the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP for their courage and leadership in concluding the Good Friday Agreement. This process is very much their creation and I encourage them to continue their support for this current phase of delivery.

In the time available I will review briefly the main elements of the Hillsborough agreement and note the progress that has already been made in its implementation. The Hillsborough agreement provides for a cross-community vote in the Assembly to request the devolution of policing and justice powers on 9 March and the completion of the devolution of policing and justice by 12 April. This will be an essential step for peace, stability and security in Northern Ireland. It will consolidate the operation of devolved government and close the circle in the transformation of policing and justice structures in Northern Ireland. The appointment of a Minister for Justice, accountable to the Northern Ireland Assembly, will signal a strong vote of confidence in the robustness and sustainability of the devolved institutions.

The agreement also provides for a way forward on parades based on cross community support for an enhanced framework. This offers the prospect of respecting and equitably balancing the rights of everybody. While most parades pass off peacefully each year, there remain a handful of contentious parades and another few which retain the potential for difficulty. The core point is that any enhanced framework would have at its core the principles of local people providing local solutions and respect for the rights of those who parade and those who live in the areas through which parades pass. This includes the right for everyone to be free from sectarian harassment. Until new arrangements have been agreed and put in place, the Parades Commission will continue to do its valuable work.

An ambitious timeframe has been set for this work. The First and Deputy First Minister have appointed representatives to the working group provided for in the Hillsborough agreement. This working group is now meeting on a daily basis and will report back with agreed outcomes within two weeks. These outcomes will, in turn, provide the basis for widespread public consultation, leading to responsibility for parading being devolved to the Northern institutions and Assembly legislation before the end of the year. The agreement between the parties to move forward on an agreed basis has the potential to transform the situation, lifting the stresses and pressure on communities arising from parades. Realising this potential will require generosity of spirit and respect for others on the part of all stakeholders. There is also a duty of care on those who take this work forward to ensure the rights of all are equitably accommodated. The Government will remain close to this process as it progresses through the various stages.

The Hillsborough agreement also provides for a working group to be established on outstanding commitments from the St. Andrews Agreement. One commitment of particular interest to this House concerns the Irish language. The Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement recognised the importance of respect, tolerance and understanding of the linguistic diversity and culture of Northern Ireland. The Irish Government is committed to assisting the development of the Irish language in Northern Ireland and the implementation of outstanding commitments made in the St. Andrews Agreement, including an Irish Language Act. We also look forward to early agreement on an Irish language strategy. Since language issues are a devolved matter, this is an area where the Government works directly with the Northern Ireland Executive, including through the North-South body, Foras na Gaeilge.

Engagement continues with the British Government on relevant non-devolved areas such as broadcasting and through the British Irish Council. I am pleased that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his British counterpart recently signed a memorandum of understanding which will facilitate the continued availability of Irish television services, including TG4, in Northern Ireland after the digital switch-over. As the House will be aware, the promotion and protection of the Irish language is a key priority for the Irish Government in this jurisdiction and our work in this area can have a positive effect on the island as a whole. The 20 year strategy for the Irish language, 2010-2030, will have a beneficial impact on speakers of the Irish language on the whole island and the Irish Government will look at how these synergies can be optimised. This is where we can be creative and apply some of the more creative solutions in the 20 year strategy for the benefit of Irish language speakers in Northern Ireland.

I reiterate the need for tolerance and respect for both the Irish language and the Ulster Scots language and culture in Northern Ireland. I accept the points made by Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú and Senator Cecilia Keaveney regarding the role of culture and respect for culture. I have previously urged a more open approach to the Irish language by those who erroneously see it as something threatening. Far from being feared, the languages and cultures of this island ought to be shared and celebrated. I look forward to a more mature and less politicised discussion about the Irish language, building on the improved dynamic and mutual respect that enabled agreement to be reached in Hillsborough last week.

In moving forward, we must build and consolidate trust between communities, in a spirit of equality and tolerance for each other's political aspirations, cultural expression and inheritance. Much has already been achieved in building sustainable relationships where once there was mistrust. However, more must be done to knock down the barriers which physically and metaphorically separate too many in the North. Again, I accept the views expressed by Senators about the community-based interface. We have done, and continue to do, much work on that. We have not pulled back at all in this jurisdiction. In fact, our funding has been maintained in terms of the reconciliation and anti-sectarianism funds. This is something I am very keen on, and perhaps I could discuss it as a specific item with Senators on another occasion. We could discuss how we could really work on the community issue and particularly what are described as the hard-to-reach areas. The social and economic indices are still shocking in many areas and until the British and Irish Governments and the Executive collectively move in a comprehensive way to tackle the issues in those communities, we will not put in the underpinning that is essential to sustain the political edifice that has been created through the agreements. That is an issue of great interest to me and I have spoken to all and sundry about it and the need to concentrate in those areas.

The Hillsborough agreement provides a new platform upon which we can build stronger and deeper North-South co-operation over the months and years to come. I appreciate the work Senator Quinn has done in that regard with the British Irish Association, and the work he did yesterday and last evening, as well as Senator O'Toole's work on the ad hoc committee. I will take on board the suggestions they have made; they will find us open and willing to advance them. The point is well made about the North-South Ministerial Council and the lack of awareness outside of those participating, even in this House, of the progress that has been made. There have been more than 50 meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council since the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly in May 2007. Every one of those meetings has included Ministers from the Unionist and Nationalist traditions in Northern Ireland, as well as their Irish Government counterparts.

This is a hugely significant level of engagement between elected representatives in both parts of the island on the economic and social issues of most concern to those we represent. The era of "back-to-back" development has truly been consigned to the past. Ministers, North and South, no longer hesitate to pick up the telephone or meet in person, discuss common challenges, argue options and agree shared approaches to the difficulties we face. That is politics as it should be. The political compromises reached at Hillsborough will free up time and space to tackle the bread-and-butter issues of most concern to ordinary people. The Government is determined to work closely with our Northern Ireland Executive colleagues to tackle those issues on an all-island basis, wherever possible and helpful.

We will continue to take a North-South approach to meeting the infrastructural needs of the island, as evidenced by our support for the upgrading to dual carriageway status of the new A5 road to Derry and Letterkenny. We are increasing our efforts to build a smart and dynamic "Innovation Island" by increasing our collaboration through the US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership and under the EU's seventh framework programme. We are intensifying our co-operation in areas such as health and education, with North-South studies completed or in train on how we can achieve economies of scale and deliver improved services. We look forward to examining closely with our Northern Ireland Executive colleagues ways in which both our Administrations can save money by eliminating duplication on the island. It is simple common sense that we can do more together, for less, if we pool our talents, resources and time in the many areas in which we have shared ambitions and targets.

We look forward to completing the St. Andrews Agreement review of North-South bodies and areas of co-operation as soon as possible, ensuring Ministers can address issues of most pressing concern through the North-South Ministerial Council. We are also determined to bring into being the North-South Consultative Forum and the North-South Parliamentary Forum, which will each have a valuable role in advising the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on socio-economic and cultural issues with a North-South dimension. The time is now right to make progress on all these outstanding issues and we look forward to doing just that over the months ahead.

In moving forward on these critical matters I believe that the parties have recovered the spirit of the Good Friday and St. Andrews Agreements, the vision of a better future for all the people of these islands. It is about people coming to the table with a sense of generosity and understanding, accommodating the views and opinions of others and doing so in a way that best serves everyone in the community and promotes security, stability and support for democracy. The devolved institutions can now move on to focus on the day-to-day issues that concern everyone, such as the economy, jobs, health, education, infrastructure, social services, community safety and quality of life. That better future must be built on mutual respect for people of all different traditions, equality and tolerance, and respect for each others' political aspirations and cultural expression and inheritance.

As we mark this month's deadline for paramilitary decommissioning, it is worth taking stock of the great degree of success there has been in taking the gun out of politics in Northern Ireland. Recent acts of decommissioning remind us all of the great benefits the peace process can bring and the confidence it generates in communities. This Government has expressed its appreciation for those who worked so hard to bring about the decommissioning by the UDA. I also welcome the recent confirmation by the INLA and other groups that they have put their weapons beyond use. Their recognition that politics is the only way forward is to be welcomed.

Sadly, the evil, criminal attack on PSNI Constable Peadar Heffron in recent weeks is a stark reminder that there remain a tiny, unrepresentative few whose aim is to destroy all that has been achieved. I pay tribute to Constable Heffron for all that he has done for this country and for his bravery in dealing with what I know are significant injuries. It is very important we place our deep appreciation and our best wishes for Constable Peadar Heffron and his family firmly on the record of this House.