Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the representations he has made to the Northern Ireland authorities in relation to the human rights issues of prisoners in Magaberry Prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9031/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Prisons policy in Northern Ireland, and the conditions prevailing within them, is a devolved matter overseen by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and an executive agency of that Department, the Northern Ireland Prison Service. I have received a full briefing on the assessment of an Oireachtas delegation that recently visited Maghaberry Prison and can assure the House that we continue to monitor developments there very closely. My officials are in regular communication with a network of contacts, including public representatives, individuals and organisations working closely with the prisoners themselves. This facilitates confidential approaches on individual cases of concern. I wish to underline however, that this is against the background of the devolution of policing and justice in February 2010 and of ongoing and far reaching reform in the justice system in Northern Ireland, led by Minister David Ford.

In October 2011 a report into prison reform was published by Dame Anne Owers which made far reaching recommendations related to prison reform in Northern Ireland. This followed a full review of the prison system with a particular focus on how best to protect the human rights of individual prisoners. Much progress has been made to date in implementing the recommended reforms contained within this report, including a significant uptake of the prison officers’ “exit” scheme and a corresponding recruitment of new prison staff. Minister Ford confirmed recently that, to date, 287 prison officers have left the service through the voluntary redundancy scheme and he has secured funding to allow a further 73 Prison Officers to leave. The delivery of a reformed justice system has a major part to play in building and protecting a more positive future for Northern Ireland. I believe that the full implementation of all of the recommendations of the Owers Report remains the most effective way to achieve this and to ensure that conditions within all prisons in Northern Ireland are of an acceptable standard.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the proposed Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland as provided for in the Good Friday Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9181/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring the full and effective implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including the provision relating to a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement sets out that a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland would include rights reflecting the principles of mutual respect for the identity and ethos of both communities and parity of esteem, alongside the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights. A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland drawn up by agreement between the main parties of the Assembly could set out precisely and formally the rights upon which a shared future for the people of Northern Ireland can be based. I would urge all the parties in the Assembly to engage in constructive discussion with a view to reaching agreement on the substance of a Bill of Rights.

In contact with the British administration, we continue to stress the importance of ensuring that a Bill of Rights, for Northern Ireland which takes account of the separate and specific context of Northern Ireland. We will continue to engage with the British Government on this issue, which is one of a number of areas where full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has yet to be achieved.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has discussed with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State or with the Northern Ireland Executive any new initiatives to deal with sectarian violence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9173/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Since the outbreak of street violence in early December, I have had frequent contact, both with the British Government and with party leaders. My most recent meeting with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers MP was here in Dublin on Monday 11 February. We agreed to continue working together to support the parties in Northern Ireland in addressing both the underlying and immediate causes of the deplorable violence seen in recent months on the streets of Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland. While the situation has been calmer in recent weeks, we remain fully engaged as Governments in our support of the work of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and are united in our view, in the context of forthcoming parades, that the Parades Commission’s determinations must be respected. Dialogue between parade participants and resident communities continues to be the most effective way to prevent outbreaks of violence.

On 17 January 2013, together with the Secretary of State and her colleague Minister of State Mike Penning MP, I met with First Minister Peter Robinson MLA and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA. At that meeting, we reviewed the situation following the recent flags controversy across the three dimensions of public order, political leadership and rebuilding Northern Ireland’s reputation. We emphasised the need for protests to stop as well as our support for the PSNI who have been at the frontline in dealing with the violent incidents unfortunately associated with some of the protests. The Secretary of State and I encouraged the First Minister and deputy First Minister to work with other Party Leaders in Northern Ireland to move on from the current controversy towards building a shared, cohesive and integrated society. We also offered to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the good work done by the Executive and others on attracting inward investment and tourists to Northern Ireland is not put at risk.

The persistence of sectarianism in Northern Ireland, with the absence of political agreement on how to make progress towards a truly reconciled society, contributes to the likelihood of incidents such as those we have witnessed in recent weeks. This crisis will not be resolved other than by a cross-party, cross-community response. In my view therefore, there is no substitute for the party leaders agreeing on a framework for talks to address the issues that have arisen in relation to flags and symbols. These are political issues that require a political solution. The sooner the framework is agreed the better. In the meantime, there has been very welcome progress in securing practical support for ongoing programmes to address sectarianism in Northern Ireland, in particular the agreement on a new EU Peace Programme (PEACE IV) with funding of €150m secured.

Looking forward, the focus of political leadership in Northern Ireland should be on maintaining and creating jobs through economic recovery, in which inward investment and tourism play such a crucial role. The Government are ready to support the Executive and political leadership in Northern Ireland in whatever way we can.