I thank Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party, Sinn Féin and the Independent Deputies for supporting the Government on this issue. We have had a long and interesting debate with contributions from a large number of Deputies and I will refer to some of those in my reply. I acknowledge and thank the leader of the Fine Gael Party, Deputy Kenny, for staying throughout the debate, conscious of the fact that he and I have been here for seven and a half hours. I renew my appreciation to the House for facilitating this urgent debate, particularly the party leaders and the Whips for accepting the need for all Stages be taken this evening so that the North-South bodies can continue to operate successfully.
We have been through many issues regarding Northern Ireland this week. We had the start of round table talks last Thursday, over the weekend our colleagues were involved in the British-Irish debate, we are discussing the Bill today, tomorrow the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation will sit and on Thursday the Seanad will take this Bill and the next round of round table talks will resume. It is an intensive period and in addition to these activities, officials and parties are communicating with each other on an ongoing basis as they have done for several weeks.
I know that Deputies have a keen interest in the developments in Northern Ireland as is clear from this debate and their general interest at Question Time. I hope they found this debate as useful as I did in dealing with the wider political situation in the context of this Bill and I am grateful for the understanding which has been expressed for the need for the Bill. Regret was expressed by most Deputies that we have to have this debate at all and I assure the House we will continue to work towards resolving matters. I feel similar regret, but one must keep working to move things along. In the long-term it will prove the right thing, regardless of how long it takes and how many setbacks we have. As has been said, at least we are not in the position where we had horrific death tolls such as Deputy Rabbitte referred to relating to one particular year.
As I have repeatedly said in the House and outside it, while the Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended, the Agreement has not. The Governments will press ahead with their responsibilities under the Agreement. Last Friday, I was pleased to attend the fourth summit meeting of the British-Irish Council in New Lanark, Scotland. The meeting discussed the experience of the administrations in the area of social inclusion and examined how we might co-operate in addressing the issues behind this real and pressing dilemma. Regrettably on this occasion, the Northern Ireland Ministers were not among the delegations to the council but I look forward to renewed engagement with both the east-west and North-South fora following restoration. On a serious level, while it was regrettable they were not there, as was stated by the Ministers from Westminster who took their positions, we were able to get on with the work. We are prepared to make the Agreement work. Support for it is such that in the event of suspension and the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers, we were able to do much useful and positive work affecting social inclusion, drugs and other issues.
I thank Deputies for the key issues raised and will address some of them. Several Deputies, including Deputy Kenny, leader of the Fine Gael Party, raised the question of suspension of the Assembly. I share their concern that the Bill before the House is necessary. However, we must deal with realities. As Deputy Kenny said, the continuing functioning of the North-South bodies is something which we all feel is important and for which we must now make provision. That is the purpose of the supplementary agreement between the two Governments and the current Bill.
As regards the question of this Bill ceasing to have effect, I can confirm to Deputy Rabbitte that it is the intention of the Government that the Bill shall expire upon restoration of the Assembly. The Bill provides that an expiry order is to be made as soon as practicable following restoration of the Assembly. At the same time the Government will notify the British Government of the completion of the requirements for termination of the supplementary agreement in so far as we are concerned. I assure the Deputy that it is intended that the expiry order provided for in the Bill and the termination notification under the supplementary agreement will be made as close together in time as possible – separate provision for each is a matter purely of mechanics.
I endorse Deputy Kenny's comments on the handling of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The one positive outcome from this difficult period was the enhancement of cross-Border co-operation in the area of animal health. As a result, we are now well advanced in the develop ment of an all-island animal health strategy. Even in the past few weeks, senior officials at Secretary General level and veterinarians have continued discussions on the issue and I am adamant we do not lose the benefits of that. This will be taken forward by the agriculture sector of the North-South Ministerial Council. I recall the widespread praise for the very effective role played by Agriculture Minister Bríd Rodgers during this episode. As Deputy Keaveney said, there are clear benefits to be had from local Ministers taking local decisions.
I thank Deputies for their expressions of support for the North-South bodies and for the range of practical achievements which they mentioned in their remarks. These included the important roles of Tourism Ireland, InterTrade Ireland and Waterways Ireland, all of which are major contributors to the economic well-being of this island. I note Deputy Mitchell's remarks on the SDLP and I fully agree with his views on the crucial role that party has played in the peace process. As I said before, I have worked closely within the North-South Ministerial Council on matters relating to the North-South bodies with Seamus Mallon and Mark Durkan. I look forward to working closely with Mark Durkan in the months ahead both in relation to the NSMC and in the wider work of securing the restoration of the Northern Ireland institutions and the full implementation of the Agreement in all its aspects.
I note Deputy Ó Caoláin's remarks on the figures in the Estimates for Foras na Gaeilge. However, these should be read in the context of an almost doubling of the budget for the body over the past two years, from €7.5 million in 2000 to €14 million. The Government is fully supportive of the work of Foras na Gaeilge throughout the island of Ireland, for which my colleague, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, has responsibility. As the House will be aware, the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, has a long-standing personal commitment to Irish language issues and will continue in co-operation with his Northern counterpart to oversee the development of this body to its full potential. There is nobody who participates in these issues more than the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, in Northern Ireland as well as the Republic.
In relation to Deputy Sargent's remarks regarding consultation on keeping the bodies in operation, North-South co-operation has always operated on the basis of mutual respect, transparency and making progress only by agreement. I am confident that this remedial action to preserve the important work of the North-South bodies enjoys widespread support across the political spectrum. Deputy Keaveney raised a number of issues, specifically in relation to Lough Foyle. On the question of the sea bed, I will arrange for the information the Deputy requested to be sent to her in writing. With regard to the issues relating to the proposed wind farm development and the aquaculture licensing, which are of obvious concern to the Deputy's constituents, these are matters in the first instance for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, and I am sure he will take account of the concerns she expressed.
There has been some discussion of deadlines for the process in which we are currently engaged and I will come to those matters shortly. Among other matters raised, Deputy Crowe referred to expanding the North-South bodies to include energy, transport, economic development and health. It is my hope that, in time, as was the original intention of the Good Friday Agreement, the initial range of Implementation Bodies will increase. I share the Deputy's desire that these should develop on a more formal basis. On the Good Friday when the Agreement emerged, people felt that to list any Implementation Bodies would be an enormous move forward and that the world would never be the same again. However, the arrangements have worked very well and North-South development is already well developed in the key areas to which Deputy Crowe referred, both within and outside the remit of the North-South bodies. That high level of co-operation will be maintained.
I agree with Deputy Dr. Cowley's comments in relation to the health area, in which there is enormous scope for co-operation. Deputy Crowe's colleagues, Martin McGuinness and Báirbre de Brún, as Northern Ireland Ministers for Education and Health, respectively, made great strides on those issues and the areas where there is co-operation are very evident. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, and Báirbre de Brún have worked together to achieve substantial progress in the health area. That process brings down barriers. As Deputy Dr. Cowley has pointed out from his experience of medical issues, that co-operation can be enhanced. I fully agree with his comments.
The Implementation Bodies have statutory functions, as set out in the legislation under which they were established. However, the possibility of expanding the areas of co-operation within the council is provided for in the Good Friday Agreement and preliminary consideration of this issue had already commenced before suspension. We should continue to address those issues and I hope that will happen once we are up and running again.
To return to the matter of discussing deadlines for the current process, the critical issue is that everyone now accepts the need for a sense of urgency regarding the way we should tackle current impasse. There can be no complacency, no foot-dragging and no digging in. All sides are being challenged to move forward in addressing the outstanding issues in a comprehensive and collective manner. Deputy Durkan referred to the importance of moving on and I agree with him. If we do not move forward we could spend many years arguing that the problems in interface areas – including those at Holy Cross and other primary schools – are caused by one side or the other. That could go on ad nauseam.It is no harm to state the reasons for those outstanding issues. We must take account of the concerns of various groups – which other Deputies and I have met on many occasions – arguing for justice for the forgotten people whose loved ones were killed by one side or the other and who have not succeeded in getting to the truth of what happened in various tragic fatalities over the years. We can consider those issues. A few years ago we had a debate on the possibility of looking at the system used in South Africa to air such issues, but I did not detect great support for that process. We have to move on. It is eight years since the first historic ceasefires and five and a half years since the second ceasefires, which were equally historic. From what has been said in this debate, it is clear people wish to move on from the days of paramilitarism. They know who has been engaged and that it is not all one-sided. They want to move on to the next phase when it is time to do so.
Moving on is not new to this State, which has been obliged to do so at previous stages in its history. The party I am honoured to lead made that move in 1926, less than four years after a turbulent period and a divisive civil war. Six years later the party made another enormous move forward. As I said, there comes a time when it is necessary to move forward. While it may be difficult to equate the past with the present, there was probably a similar degree of bitterness and divisiveness in 1926 as there is now.
I accept that there has to be a period of suspension and I acknowledge that people in the House have been very tolerant in this regard. We must remember that the alternative to society moving forward is that it will drift backward. In that context, we must recognise that this summer was more difficult than last summer which, in turn, was probably more difficult than the summer of 2000. Maintaining the status quo is not really an option because there is a tendency to drift back. The general message from the debate is that we can avoid the need for this Bill and be in a position to rescind it very quickly if everybody concerned moves forward. It is not my job to lecture one side or the other. We have acted as honest brokers with a view to moving ahead in the interests of all the people – Nationalists, republicans, Unionists and loyalists – of Northern Ireland. The people of this island are all directly affected by those issues in terms of image, status, how they think and the mood of society here. I feel sure everybody wishes to move on.
I look forward to attending the first meeting of the re-convened Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin tomorrow, at which there will hopefully be a constructive exchange of views. I hope it can make a strong and positive contribution towards addressing the issues of confidence and trust which lie at the heart of the current difficulties. I also hope the event is well attended and that the proceedings are well covered by the media and brought out into the public domain. Our objective through the forum is to reach a wider audience.
I am grateful to the House for its support in ensuring that the important work and functions of the North-South bodies can, by virtue of this remedial legislation, be protected and maintained during what we hope is a temporary suspension period. I thank Deputies for their co-operation, especially those, including Deputy Kenny, who remained in the Chamber throughout the debate on the Bill. I appreciate their commitment.