I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on Northern Ireland matters.
As the Taoiseach indicated when he appeared before this House in July, it is important to acknowledge our collective achievements in bringing peace to this island while also guarding against complacency. At the heart of everything we have achieved, as well as our current work and all that we hope to do, is the Good Friday Agreement. The Taoiseach has described it aptly as the "bedrock of our peace". It is as relevant and necessary in Northern Ireland today as it was in 1998.
The genius of the Good Friday Agreement, supplemented by the St. Andrews Agreement, is that it addresses all of the essential relationships and elements required, not only to bring the conflict to an end, but also to build sustainable, permanent peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and on these islands. It provides us with a forward looking, future-oriented agenda and the necessary framework to achieve it.
The consolidation of our peace requires that all of the elements be respected and implemented. The story of the past ten years has been a case of, to coin a phrase, "Much done, more to do". If we are honest, we must acknowledge we have wasted too much time and lost too much momentum over the past decade in debates about preconditions and sequencing. We need to work together to realise the full implementation of the Agreement across the board. The balanced progressive implementation of all aspects of the Agreement is the best way to complete the journey from conflict to a shared future of permanent peace and reconciliation.
The Government, together with the British Government, is a guarantor of the Agreement. We are conscious of our responsibility in ensuring that the full promise of the Agreement is realised and we are continuing to work hard to achieve its full and effective implementation. This responsibility is both serious and shared. However, the political parties in Northern Ireland also have a fundamental and indispensable role to play in the implementation of the Agreement. This role is of particular importance in the many areas where powers have been devolved to the Assembly. Here the Governments can act as influencers, supporters and persuaders but it is the parties in the Assembly and the Executive who must develop proposals, engage others in debate on them and reach agreement. I urge all parties to live up to their responsibilities in this regard.
At the core of the Agreement is a commitment to partnership, equality and mutual respect. This commitment is manifested in the institutions of the Agreement — the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, the North-South Ministerial Council and the British Irish Council.
The Assembly and the Executive were established with power-sharing as their core principle. They are a vital to ensuring that all sides of the community can have trust and confidence in the system of devolved government. Given Northern Ireland's past, the significance and centrality of the system of joint decision-making which is now in place cannot be overestimated and should not be taken for granted. In many cases this system is neither easy nor straightforward. Political partnerships of all kinds require work. A power-sharing coalition between parties from different traditions with different aspirations is very challenging but it is not impossible and it is worth the effort. The key ingredients are the political will and leadership required to make it work. Power-sharing and devolution is in the best interests of Northern Ireland and its people. It is this system which they voted for in 1998 and it is the resulting democratic legitimacy which keeps everyone on track when times are politically fraught and differences seem unbridgeable.
It is worth noting that the most immediate challenges facing Northern Ireland are not issues which divide people along Nationalist and Unionist lines, rather it is the everyday political challenges of delivery that face the Executive and Assembly — questions which politicians in every parliament face — and for which the people of Northern Ireland look to the Assembly for answers. I refer to questions such as how to attract investment and increase employment, how to develop transport infrastructures, and how to ensure that people feel safe and secure in their homes and neighbourhoods. These are the questions that the political leaders of Northern Ireland can and must answer together for the benefit of all their constituents.
The establishment of devolved institutions within Northern Ireland was a major achievement. Their consolidation will require the Assembly and the Executive to demonstrate that it can sustain the delivery of tangible outcomes for the benefit of all the people of Northern Ireland.
Ten years after the Patten report, it is evident that significant advances have been made in transforming policing in Northern Ireland and in creating a service which is representative of the people and trusted by people from all sections of the community.
The former Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, did tremendous work in this regard and I take the opportunity today to commend him for it. I also want to wish every success to the new Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, who comes to Northern Ireland with an excellent reputation in terms of his commitment to effective community policing. The devolution of policing and justice powers is important in its own right but also as a statement of what Northern Ireland is and how far it has come. It is a statement to those small few on the extremes still intent on division and violence to say that we will not be dragged backwards and are resolute in moving forward. It is also important to demonstrate to the wider world that Northern Ireland is a politically stable place with a normal policing and security infrastructure. The vital importance of political stability in attracting investment has been emphasised in recent weeks by the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and by her special economic envoy to Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly.
Many of the preparations for the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont are well advanced. I welcome the agreement reached recently on a significant financial package for devolution and I commend Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, for their hard work and the long hours committed to securing this outcome. The financial package provides a robust basis to move forward. I urge all the parties in Northern Ireland to work together to ensure that the transfer of these powers takes place as soon as possible. The progress made in building cross-community support for policing and justice must be consolidated and built on now and the completion of the devolution of policing and justice is the best way to do this.
It is also important not to lose sight of the significant work that needs to be done at a societal level. We must be honest about the scale of the work needed to create a truly shared and reconciled society in Northern Ireland. It may be the work of several generations to successfully tackle sectarianism and build lasting reconciliation but we need to make progress now and build on it every day. There is an important and continuing role for those at community level but there is also responsibility at political level to set an example and for political leaders to challenge attitudes and prejudices within their own communities. Throughout the Government in Northern Ireland there is a need to develop strategies in support of a shared and better future in Northern Ireland. I encourage the Executive to take the lead and to agree to publish a comprehensive strategy to promote reconciliation.
Parades remain one of the most difficult issues on the road to a shared future. The issue of parading is of fundamental importance to both communities in Northern Ireland. It raises deep and sensitive emotions related to self esteem and mutual respect. In the past decade, the contention around parading has been reduced, with much of the progress due to the work of the Parades Commission, together with local engagement and effective leadership at community level. Unfortunately, several parades retain the potential to destabilise the situation each summer.
Parades need to be addressed in a mutually respectful way, acknowledging the importance of the interlocking issues of rights and responsibilities on all sides. Solutions can neither be imposed nor dictated and should not be demanded as a prerequisite for progress in other areas of the Agreement, nor can they can they be presented as a win for one community over the other. The parading issue can best be dealt with by full and ongoing engagement by the parties in Northern Ireland and at community and local level. Leadership and compromise will be required to arrive at agreement on any improved framework for managing parades. It is essential that as we seek to move to a better future we do not leave behind those who have suffered most in the past. We have an obligation to those who suffered most as a result of the conflict and we have an obligation to try to heal wider society. The question of how to respond to the difficult outstanding issues from the Troubles was examined in detail by the Eames-Bradley Consultative Group on the past, which reported to the British Government earlier this year. The Government is working closely with its British counterpart to consider how the recommendations might be taken forward. Much work has already been done to develop our understanding of the past. The two Governments agreed at Weston Park in 2001 to the establishment of inquiries in certain important and representative cases.
Inquiries into the deaths of Robert Hamill, Rosemary Nelson and Billy Wright are well advanced. In this jurisdiction, the Smithwick inquiry into the murders of RUC officers Harry Breen and Bob Buchanan is also well underway. As the House is aware, the promised inquiry into the death of Pat Finucane has not been established by the British Government. I reiterate the Government's view that a proper, independent inquiry should be established, as recommended by Judge Cory.
We await also the publication of the report of the Saville inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday. The long delay between the closing of the public phase and drafting the report has been difficult on the families. It had been hoped that the report would be published before Christmas but it now seems that it will be further delayed until March next year. The Government continues to urge the British authorities to do all they can to ensure the needs of the families are respected and the report is published as soon as possible. Looking back at the scars and divisions of the past is difficult and raises many sensitivities. However, the best way we can honour the dead and serve the living is through building a peace which respects the suffering of the past and which contributes to the construction of a better future for everyone on these islands.
In the Agreement the parties dedicated themselves "to the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance and mutual trust, and to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all". These principles are reflected in two important institutions which that agreement created within Northern Ireland, an equality commission and a human rights commission. It is important to acknowledge what these organisations represent. They are a statement that Northern Ireland has learned important lessons from its past and has put in place structures to ensure previous mistakes and injustices are not repeated. The commissions continue to have great relevance in promoting and protecting rights and equality of opportunity in Northern Ireland. It is incumbent on all of us to work actively in support of their important work.
One significant piece of unfinished work in this area is the Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. This is not a question of British rights, Irish rights, or even Northern Irish rights. Still less is it about orange rights or green rights. What is needed is a statement of universal rights specific to the present and historical context of Northern Ireland. Such a Bill of Rights is necessary to underpin the foundations of mutual respect and parity of esteem which are essential to stability and progress in Northern Ireland. The work of the Bill of Rights Forum and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission have advanced our understanding of the issues related to a Bill of Rights. We look forward to the British Government's consultation paper on this issue in the coming weeks. I emphasise the Government's commitment to seeing this important part of the Agreement implemented and I urge all parties in Northern Ireland to engage constructively with the consultation process.
The promotion and protection of the Irish language remains a priority for the Government. We will continue to support Foras na Gaeilge, the North-South Implementation Body charged with promoting the language on an all-island basis, and to ensure its continued effective operation.
The Government will also continue to press for the full implementation of Good Friday Agreement commitments relating to the Irish language which fall to the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, including the introduction of an Irish language Act and the enhancement of the Irish language in Northern Ireland. I encourage all parties in Northern Ireland to take a fresh look at the Irish language issue. While the language is a valid expression of Irish identity, it should not be seen as the exclusive preserve of one community. The Irish language forms part of the very landscape of our island. It is reflected in the names of mountains and rivers, towns and villages, roads and streets throughout Northern Ireland, as well as in the names of many of its people from both traditions. I encourage all with an interest in the culture and history of their home place to view it as an integral and treasured part of that rich and diverse cultural heritage. In the same spirit, the Government is pleased to support the Ulster Scots Agency in its important work and to promote and celebrate the Ulster Scots tradition on both sides of the Border.
The balanced progressive implementation of all aspects of the Agreement requires the North-South and east-west institutions to reach their full potential as well. Since the restoration of the devolved institutions the British-Irish Council has once again begun to operate as initially intended with representation from all the Administrations on these islands. For its part, the Government is fully committed to engaging constructively within this framework to the mutual benefit of all the peoples of these islands.
In terms of the North-South relationship, I am pleased to say we are increasing all-island co-operation through the North-South Ministerial Council, with a busy programme of ministerial meetings agreed for the months ahead. In addition to four plenary meetings of the council since restoration of the Northern Ireland institutions in May 2007, there have also been some 44 ministerial meetings. Each of these has included Northern Ministers from both Nationalist and Unionist backgrounds, as well as their Government counterparts. Cross-Border engagement is now a regular feature of ministerial life North and South. We are putting our shoulders to the wheel, delivering substantial initiatives designed to improve the lives of all those we represent, North and South, and to develop our all-island economy. This is the basis for the Government commitment to help upgrade the A5 road to Derry and Letterkenny and the A8 road from Belfast to Larne. It is what underpins our support for Project Kelvin, a €30 million cross-Border initiative, being taken forward with the European Union, to provide high-speed and low-cost broadband for the north west and surrounding areas.
Current economic difficulties compel us to intensify our efforts in the area of North-South co-operation and examine where economies of scale can be achieved by planning, investing and providing services on a cross-Border basis. We have made a good start in this area. For example, patients in certain Border areas can now access general practitioner and cancer services in the other jurisdiction. However, there is more we can do to provide better and more accessible public services. We will continue to intensify the North-South programme of work and identify new areas where closer co-operation can bring tangible benefits, economic and social, to people on both sides of the Border. There is more work to be done on North-South institutions. The North South Parliamentary Forum and the North South Consultative Forum remain works in progress and must be advanced to completion.
I express my thanks to all the Members of the House from all parties and none who have throughout the years played a very constructive role in respect of the peace process. I look forward to the continued advice and support of the House in the work that has yet to be done as we work to achieve the full promise of the Agreement and a better and shared future for all on this island.
