Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 9 Oct 2002

Vol. 554 No. 5

Written Answers. - Northern Ireland Issues.

Finian McGrath

Ceist:

461 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's plans to ensure the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the removal of 200 heavily fortified British Army and police barracks in Northern Ireland. [15538/02

Finian McGrath

Ceist:

476 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will use his full authority to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement is implemented and to demand from the British Government the removal of the 200 British Army and police barracks in Northern Ireland. [15542/02]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 461 and 476 together.

Under the Good Friday Agreement, the British Government is committed to securing "as early a return as possible to normal security arrangements, consistent with the level of threat". In the joint statement by the two Governments on 1 August 2001, the British Government indicated that normal security arrangements will mean the "vacation, return or demolition of the great majority of army bases, the demolition and vacation of all surveillance towers, no further army presence in police stations and the use of Army helicopters for training purposes only".

To date, some 40 military installations have been closed, vacated or demolished since 1995, with about 60 installations remaining. In addition, troop levels have been reduced by 3,500 to 13,500.

Following the IRA's first act of decommissioning last October, the British Government announced the dismantling of a number of mili tary installations – two observation towers on Camlough and Sturgan mountain, the supersanger at Newtownhamilton police station and Magherafelt army base. On 22 January last, the then Chief Constable announced the following additional measures – closure of Ebrington barracks in Derry, dismantling of the observation tower at Glasdrumman, South Armagh, and the opening of the security barrier in Newtownhamilton, South Armagh. Work on these measures has either already been completed or is in progress.

In addition, on 2 May last, First Minister David Trimble and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan announced an economic regeneration package which included the free transfer of a number of vacated Army and security buildings for community use. The bases being transferred are the barracks at Magherafelt, Ebrington and Malone Road, the Maze Prison and the Ministry of Defence site at Long Kesh, and Crumlin Road prison.

The Government has consistently stressed that all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement need to be implemented fully, including swift and ongoing movement towards full normalisation throughout Northern Ireland, including and in particular in South Armagh and West Tyrone. Demilitarisation is a tangible demonstration to people on the ground that politics works, and that it delivers positive, emphatic and permanent change. As I stated at the UN General Assembly on 13 September last, while welcome progress has been made in normalising security arrangements on the ground, "more needs to be done, and we need to see further early progress, especially in the South Armagh area". I, and my officials, including through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat, continue to press for further advances toward the objectives set out in the Good Friday Agreement.