David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On several occasions we have called for the Leader of the House to arrange for the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Assembly in the North to address the Seanad. I want to put on the record my appreciation, as the Leader has tried to facilitate us in this matter and has written to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on the issue. Since then, it is fair to say, we have had an escalating crisis in the North. Last year we had the publication of the Haass proposals, which followed extensive and exhaustive talks between all of the parties. Unfortunately the Unionist parties refused to sign up to the recommendations. Efforts were made in recent weeks to have fresh talks aimed at dealing with issues relating to the past and contemporary issues which need to be implemented by the Assembly. Again the Unionist parties walked out of these talks. In recent times we have had a threat from all of the Unionist parties to withdraw from the Assembly and bring down the institutions which were democratically elected by the people and endorsed by people North and South in the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement.

It is important that we do not take our eye off the ball with regard to what is happening in the Assembly. It would be a crisis if the institutions were brought down. A pro-Agreement axis needs to be put in place, with both Governments front and centre, to defend the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement, the St. Andrews Agreement and the institutions which, as I stated, were put in place through the Agreements and endorsed by the electorate. The two Governments are co-guarantors of the Agreements but they have taken their eye off the ball in recent times, in particular the British Government. Only last week we had the first official meeting between the Sinn Féin leadership, the Deputy First Minister of the Assembly and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. There needs to be much greater focus and we need to understand the very real threat which exists.

We are moving into the marching season and all it could bring. We all want to see calm on the streets, which is not what we had last year from some in the loyalist community. There is a very real threat which needs to be addressed . I called on the Leader of the Seanad to attempt again to arrange a special sitting of the Seanad with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Assembly, but if this cannot happen we need a debate on the peace process and the agreements. I hope the new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade will come to the House to discuss these important issues.