Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received a copy of the 14th report of the policing oversight commissioner; his views on whether the support for policing remains the best way of achieving a peaceful and lawful society in the North; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26837/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The 14th report of the Oversight Commissioner documents the solid progress that has been made towards the full implementation of the Patten report. Some 65% of the Patten recommendations have been fully implemented. The oversight commissioner praises the efforts made by the main institutions of policing in making a new beginning.

Of crucial importance is the manner in which the reforms are making a real difference to the way policing is delivered locally. Complaints against the police have dropped by almost 20% in the past four years, with a corresponding drop in the proportion of complaints that relate to oppressive behaviour.

The oversight commissioner's overall assessment is that the PSNI is now "one of the most overseen and accountable police agencies anywhere". The bulk of his criticism is towards a political system that has failed to provide the police with the appropriate context for community policing, whether because of a lack of support for the police in the case of Sinn Féin or because of failures of leadership which saw widespread loyalist rioting in September.

The Government is conscious of widespread demand in Nationalist areas of Northern Ireland for effective, accountable policing. Support for policing is critical to ensuring an inclusive democracy in Northern Ireland in which all sections of society feel secure.

In a number of his recent reports, the oversight commissioner has made clear his belief that the major obstacle to the full implantation of the Patten report is the refusal of all parties to take a full part in the institutions of policing and to support the police as it carries out its vital social function.