Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, to the House today in recognition of his enormous contribution to delivering the deal that was the Good Friday Agreement. I thank him for the account he has given on that process today. Much has been said over recent weeks and months about the agreement. While first and foremost the agreement was about being the instrument to end decades of conflict and bloodshed, the standout element for me is that this was a deal upon which to do future deals. It was an agreement to set a framework and the context for future opportunity. It was an agreement to build something. I think Mr. Ahern's main political legacy is that he is and was dealmaker.

As Mr. Ahern rightly acknowledged, many people were part of the process to deliver the agreement. I am delighted he acknowledged the work done by the Women's Coalition and indeed many others. As has already been alluded to, the final week was a particularly difficult time for him personally. The striking thing is that no matter what the achievement or the support network around any of us, we are all human with families and all that goes with that.

This is an opportunity to look back but even more so, it is an opportunity to look ahead to the future of the North. While some may not accept this, the beauty of the Good Friday Agreement was that it offered an opportunity, particularly to unionists, to show that Northern Ireland could be made to work, that it could be viable with two sets of special relationships. Of course, as we know, the leaders of unionism have chosen a different course, a self-destructive course. Ironically, even though Brexit is a disaster, it has expedited the conversation about the island of Ireland, a conversation that I wholeheartedly welcome and am very excited about. I agree with the comments of the former Taoiseach some weeks ago about the necessity, first and foremost, to get the institutions up and running. Many of us believe there can be no prospect of ever having a viable, sustainable settlement on this island if we cannot even demonstrate the basics of political interaction to people first.

Regarding the conversation about the future, as previous speakers said, it is vital that we allow for closure with regard to the past. In that context, a truth recovery process is long overdue. The cowardly and shameful effort by the British Government to lock away the past is the antithesis of what needs to happen but it must also be the spur to us all here. As we all know, total disclosure as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement requires absolute commitment and full co-operation by both Governments, something that we have not seen from the British Government for some time. As has been said, the Good Friday Agreement would not have happened, could not have happened, without the wholehearted personal commitment by both Governments at that time. That spirit now needs to be invoked again. We need to move the dial on to achieve the truth, justice and peace that so many communities, households and families in the North are looking for.

Some weeks ago, the co-ordinators of the legacy matters project appeared before the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. They talked about their vision for a justice facilitation unit and a truth recovery unit, which are vital. The process of information verification is important not only in itself but to the justice remediation project that needs to happen.

I am really struck by one of the stories that we have seen in recent weeks, that of John Crawford a father of nine who was murdered nearly 50 years ago. His family did not get answers because his killer confessed and there was no cross-examination, the Police Ombudsman investigation was described as a waste of time and the Historical Enquiries Team could not properly function owing to the lack of co-operation by an officer of the RUC.Ultimately, however, his son did get answers because the UVF engaged in a process with the family. It is fantastic that we have this unique example of a family getting answers. There are lessons there for us all. I thank the former Taoiseach for being here today. The remembrance of events 25 years ago needs to spur us all on to ensure there is a lasting peace and that there is a healthy, prosperous and vibrant future for the island of Ireland, in particular, for the people of the North.