Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:46 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made to date in implementing the Weston Park Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13115/02]
Vol. 553 No. 7
46 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made to date in implementing the Weston Park Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13115/02]
113 Mr. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made to date with regard to the implementation of the Weston Park Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15094/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 113 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, since the Governments presented the parties with a set of proposals aimed at resolving outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement on 1 August, significant progress has been made across the range of issues. David Trimble and Mark Durkan were jointly elected First and Deputy First Minister in the Assembly on 6 November and, in the period since, the institutions have been working on a full and inclusive basis.
A recent Summit of the British Irish Council took place in Jersey on 14 June where the knowledge economy was the lead item for discussion. A plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council will take place in Armagh on 28 June. In addition, the Human Rights and Equality Commissions established under the Agreement continue to take forward their important work.
Yesterday, the Government and pro-Agreement parties met for the second time in an Implementation Group to take stock of progress, following our first such meeting on 28 March. In October, the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning under General John de Chastelain reported the first act of decommissioning by the IRA. In April, the IICD reported that it had witnessed a further event in which a substantial and varied amount of weapons was put beyond use. In addition to the measures taken towards demilitarisation identified at Weston Park, the British Government has also announced the closure of Ebrington Barracks in Derry and the removal of a tower at Glassdrumman, South Armagh. Furthermore, a £200 million financial package has been created for Northern Ireland, which includes plans for the re-utilisation for local investment and regeneration purposes of Long Kesh – the Maze Prison, Crumlin Road Jail and the army bases at Magherafelt and Malone Road, Belfast.