Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House, I welcome this Bill and I express the support of the Labour Party group for it. This is an important aspect of the progress being made under the peace process. The Minister referred to the unfortunate stalemate in Stormont and the disappointment over the failure to date to get the Northern Ireland Executive up and running again. There has been an interruption to the process by the elections, and colleagues in the North have suggested to me that election fatigue had set in among many citizens in Northern Ireland following all the election and referendum processes through which they have been in recent years.

It is good to see initiatives such as this Bill coming forward which will see the establishment of an international body, the independent reporting commission, to report on progress towards ending continuing paramilitary activity connected with Northern Ireland. I thank the library and research service for preparing for us a very good synopsis for the context of the Bill and giving us an important reminder that there are ongoing levels of paramilitary activity. The PSNI recorded security situation statistics annual report for the past year, from April 2016 to 31 March 2017, provides a chilling reminder that deaths and casualties continue, even with an established peace process in place. In the timeframe to which I referred, there were five security related deaths and there has been one more since, in May this year. The five deaths between April 2016 and March 2017 also represent a high level of activity compared with previous years and is the highest number per year since the 2008-2009 reporting session. On top of fatalities there have been 61 shooting incidents and 29 bombing incidents. There are ongoing casualties and individuals and families are being grievously affected on an ongoing basis by paramilitary groups and individuals. It is important we recall that while we speak in support of this legislation.

I join others in wishing the best of luck to the four members of the commission: Mitchell Reiss, Tim O'Connor, Monica McWilliams and John McBurney. In particular, I welcome the inclusion of Professor Monica McWilliams, who has a proud record of public service, in particular in ensuring there is representation of women in the Northern Ireland public sphere and in political debate through her work with the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition.For those of us not from Northern Ireland, the lack of women at high levels in political life in Northern Ireland is a constant source of concern. It has perhaps improved in more recent times but certainly over many years we have seen an absence of women in public debate in Northern Ireland. It is great to see Monica McWilliams as a member of the commission for that reason, apart from her own stellar record.

I join others in supporting the Bill. I wish the commission the best of luck with its arduous task.