Kathleen Lynch
Ceist:36 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the matters discussed and conclusions reached at the meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in London on 21 April 2004. [14555/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 19 May 2004
Ceisteanna (51)
Freagraí scríofa
Together with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Paul Murphy MP, I co-chaired a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Millbank, London on 21 April 2004. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Kitt, accompanied me at the meeting. The Secretary of State was accompanied by John Spellar, MP, and Ian Pearson, MP, Ministers of State at the Northern Ireland Office.
The conference on 21 April reviewed political developments, including the recent publication of the report of the Independent Monitoring Commission and the two Governments' responses to its conclusions and recommendations. The conference stressed that political stability in Northern Ireland required a definitive end to all forms of paramilitarism.
The conference also stressed the importance of engagement between all the political parties, including through the review of the operation of the Agreement. Both Governments re-affirmed their commitment to the full implementation of the Agreement, the early restoration of devolved government on an inclusive basis in Northern Ireland and the full operation of all the political institutions of the Agreement.
The conference reviewed progress on the implementation of the non-conditional commitments made in the Joint Declaration. It welcomed recent developments, including the review of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the preparation of a consultation paper on the Single Equality Bill and the recent announcement by the Secretary of State that the Irish language TV and film production fund would come on stream by July 2004.
The conference also discussed the Cory reports. I confirmed that the preparations were under way for a public inquiry into the murders of RUC officers Breen and Buchanan and urged the British Government to establish a public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane, as recommended by Justice Cory, as soon as possible. There was also a discussion of the recent difficulties affecting the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and of the establishment of a forum on the Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
The Conference also reviewed security and criminal justice issues. It welcomed the peaceful beginning to the marching season and noted the important work of those who continually strive to diffuse tensions on the ground. Cross-Border justice and security co-operation and the Justice (NI) Bill were also discussed. There was a discussion on the respective current work programmes of the North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council, as well as an exchange of views on the proposed amendment to Article 9 of the Irish Constitution relating to citizenship and its application to Northern Ireland.
I raised the concerns of some sporting organisations in Northern Ireland with regard to funding and also about the restrictions that currently prevent Irish citizens from holding certain positions in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. I have arranged for copies of the conference communiqué to be placed in the Oireachtas Library.