asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the failure of the Anglo-Irish Agreement to bring peace to Northern Ireland and the importance of establishing democratic devolved government in Northern Ireland, the Government will consider suspending the agreement for a period of say three months during which time all-party talks could be initiated to discuss structures for devolved government.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Anglo-Irish Agreement.
8.
The Government favour all constructive proposals aimed at encouraging the parties in Northern Ireland to reach agreement on a devolved system of government in Northern Ireland on a basis which would secure widespread acceptance throughout the community. However, there can be no question of suspending the agreement.
I reject the assertion of the Deputy as to the failure of the Anglo-Irish Agreement to bring peace to Northern Ireland. The Irish and British Governments are committed to the implementation of the agreement which has the aims of promoting peace and stability in Northern Ireland and helping to reconcile the two major traditions in Ireland. The agreement is a framework which will achieve results progressively and in time.
A delegation from The Workers' Party met Mr. Nicholas Scott in January last.
A question, please, Deputy.
He stated that devolved government was the number one priority of the British Government. In order of priority where would the Minister place the issue of devolved government? Where does it fit into the Anglo-Irish Agreement?
It is specifically catered for in the Anglo-Irish Agreement that we want to see devolved government in Northern Ireland but it must be on a basis acceptable to all the democratically elected parties there. It cannot be imposed. We are in favour of it.
The Minister is in favour of it and we have the Anglo-Irish Agreement which he thinks will help towards achieving democratic devolved government in the North. Will the Minister explain how he sees the agreement helping to bring all democratic parties together for discussions on devolved government?
It is not a question of devolved government or the agreement. The agreement will not be set aside if devolved government is achieved. There are certain areas where functions would not be devolved. Certain functions which are presently the responsibility of the Conference established under the agreement could be devolved to a government established with the support of all parties in the North. We wish to see that. The agreement helps to bring that about because it gives Nationalists an assurance that the wrongs they feel they have suffered for 65 years are being addressed in a serious way through me as co-chairman of the Conference and that what rights they want to make them equal partners in a devolved government will be put in place.
I must pursue this matter.
The Deputy must ask a question.
Surely the Minister will agree that the rights of the Nationalist minority were shot down at the last meeting by the British Minister when the guarantee of civil rights was shot down.
That is not correct.
How does the Minister see the agreement helping to bring democratic parties together? In the past 12 months they have grown further apart and nothing has happened. Since he has said he will not suspend the agreement for three months how does he envisage getting the democratic parties together to talk to each other?
The agreement is there and that is the framework through which Nationalists have their rights redressed. It is not true that the British Government have set aside civil rights for the Nationalists in the North of Ireland. I understand the point the Deputy will come around to making, that is, that while the agreement is there the majority population, the Unionists, will not sit down at a table to discuss any form of devolved government. That is true this week but I do not think it will necessarily be true in the future. As long as the British and Irish Governments hold firm and are resolved to keep the agreement in place, then I believe that there is an ever wider band of Unionists who will come to realise that this agreement will not be shunted aside, as were the Sunningdale Agreement of 1974 and all other political initiatives which were taken over a period of 100 years, by their intransigence. That ever wider band of Unionists will, in time — and I hope within a very short time — embrace politicians, and Unionists will sit down with the Nationalist representatives to discuss a devolved government.
So the Minister has no new proposals for that.
I am moving on to the next question.
We would have proposals to make when we are sure that the climate is right for the Unionists and Nationalists to sit down together. We would hope that would be tomorrow but to be realistic we must know that it will not be.