Vol. 544 No. 5
16 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will pursue urgently with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Dr. Reid, the need to resolve the difficulties in Ardoyne; his views on whether the harassment of children on their way to and from school is totally unacceptable and harmful and must be discontinued without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29323/01]
I refer the Deputy to my substantive response on this issue in Priority Question No. 5, which unfortunately we did not have the opportunity of discussing. The substance of that reply is to the effect that the protest along the route to Holy Cross girls' primary school in Ardoyne is now in its twelfth week. During that time, young children and their parents have been subjected to sectarian abuse and worse on their way to and from the school. They have suffered serious intimidation and, on occasion, physically threatening behaviour. They have needed the protection of the police to get safely to school and a number of police officers have been injured in fulfilling their duty. The full extent of hurt being inflicted on these young children, and the harm being done to community relations in North Belfast and elsewhere, by this protest can only be guessed at.
From the start, the Taoiseach and I have clearly expressed the Government's position in relation to this deeply distressing situation. It is completely unacceptable to direct a protest at children and to intimidate them on their way to school. No grievances or wrongs – real or perceived – can justify such disgraceful treatment of young children. I fully appreciate that the residents of Glenbryn have concerns about their security and the need for more facilities for their community, just as the residents of Ardoyne have similar concerns, and those concerns need to be addressed. However, the problems of Glenbryn will not be resolved or alleviated by terrorising children. The protests cannot be justified and should cease immediately.
I thank the Minister for his reply.
Notice taken that 20 Members were not present; House counted and 20 Members being present,
Does the Minister agree that children are being denied the basic civil and human right to go to school and that the events in north Belfast, which have been going on for some time, are absolute madness? In view of the urgent need to resolve this desperate impasse, is the Minister in a position to meet the board of governors to try to speed up an urgently needed solution?
The Taoiseach met Fr. Aidan Troy and discussed the Holy Cross dispute with him in some detail. He also had discussions with Tony Blair on the question. I have discussed it at length on a regular basis with the Secretary of State. The Government's consistent position is that we want to be as helpful as possible in a search for a resolution of this problem. It is a very sensitive issue and we have been anxious not to act in a manner which could make a resolution more difficult to achieve or raise tensions further. Achieving an end to the protest as swiftly as possible is our key concern.
In our efforts to assist in finding a resolution to the problem, we have been in ongoing contact with many of the interested parties in the Holy Cross dispute, including the parents, the board of governors, local elected and community representatives and the British authorities at both political and official levels. In the course of these contacts officials also had discussions with representatives of the loyalist community during which we listened to their concerns and put forward our views on the matter.
I listened to Deputy Brendan Smith's comments on the issue and I am open to the suggestion to meet the board of governors if its members believe it would be of assistance. I would gladly make myself available for such a meeting. I note the board attended a meeting in Stormont earlier this week when Fr. Troy characterised the outcome of the meeting as providing some cautious hope. We recognise that this is an issue which must be resolved. I call on those engaged in this unjustified action to stop the protest which deprives children of the right to go to school, a basic right in any functioning democracy.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
