A Cheann Chomhairle,
I welcome the opportunity to open the debate on Northern Ireland and the outcome of the political talks in Belfast which Prime Minister Cameron and I convened in September.
These talks were brought to a successful conclusion on 17th November last.
As Deputies know, the result of the negotiations has produced “A Fresh Start – the Stormont House Agreement and Implementation Plan”.
I want to acknowledge the positive engagement by the Parties in the process and their determination to sit down and resolve issues through negotiation.
In particular, I would like to acknowledge Peter Robinson’s important contribution to the peace process down through the years. I would like to wish Peter well in his forthcoming retirement.
I would also like to thank Minister Flanagan and Minister of State Sherlock as well as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for their dedication and their close co-operation in steering this process to a successful conclusion.
However, I believe a key enabler of this latest Agreement was the people of Northern Ireland. For months now, they have been ahead of their elected representatives on this issue.
On all sides, ordinary people made it abundantly clear that they expect their political leaders to put an end to stop-go, crisis management of the devolved institutions.
They have said loud and clear that they want a government that delivers every day on everyday issues that matter to them.
This Government has clearly set out its vision for a Northern Ireland with a shared society governed by efficient, effective, representative devolved institutions which cooperate to build the island economy through overseas investment and joint efforts in trade and tourism.
The people of Northern Ireland deserve political institutions which work to build a world class infrastructure and focus on delivering high quality citizen-centred public services.
Political leaders must now step up to that challenge. They must not be found wanting in delivering on their commitments and in implementing the full range of measures that have been agreed.
These measures include tackling welfare reform and making hard choices to secure a balanced sustainable budget.
They include dismantling the final toxic traces of paramilitary structures that have no place in a civilised, inclusive society bound by the rule of law.
They include measures that must be taken - and will be taken - to root out organised crime on both sides of the border.
And they include the challenge of dealing with the legacy of the past. Workable effective arrangements must be put in place to allow the truth about the past to be brought forward for victims, survivors and families affected by the Troubles.
We should see this Agreement as an investment in the future and must acknowledge the great strides that have been made in moving Northern Ireland towards a more peaceful and more prosperous future.
Investing in the Future
The Irish Government will continue to invest in the all island economy and the people of the Border region and the North West as set out in our recent Capital Plan.
Our commitments under this Agreement will see completion of the first part of the A5 motorway, which will help unlock the full potential of the North West of the island.
We will provide support of €2.5m for the North West Gateway Initiative, which will be complemented by matching funding from the Northern Ireland Executive.
We will also continue to explore the development of further cross-border Greenways and Blueway leisure routes, including the Ulster Canal and remain committed to the concept of the Narrow Water Bridge which has the potential to provide jobs and a significant boost to tourism in the surrounding area.
And as we move to further normalise politics and society in the North, it is important that there is proper and full debate on critical issues that could have a major impact such as the UK’s future within the European Union.
The EU has been a very positive contributor to the peace process and I firmly believe that our common membership of the EU project is in all our interests.
Tackling Paramilitarism and Organised Crime
It is almost one year ago since the Stormont House Agreement was put in place. Then, it was hoped that a way forward had been found to deal with finance, welfare reform and the legacy of the past.
Within a very short space of time, difficulties emerged. This, compounded by the serious trust issues arising in the wake of two savage murders in Belfast, had a destabilising effect on the northern institutions.
The findings of the UK’s assessment of paramilitary groups by an independent panel were unsettling. Particularly disturbing was the finding that Provisional IRA members believed that the Provisional Army Council oversees both Provisional IRA and Sinn Fein with an overarching strategy.
When Prime Minister Cameron and I convened the latest round of talks, a key objective was to address the trust and confidence issues arising from the impact and legacy of paramilitary activity.
The latest Agreement makes a resolute commitment to the primacy of the democratic political process in Northern Ireland and the ending of paramilitarism and its links to criminality.
Furthermore, all the parties to the agreement commit to work collectively to achieve a society free of paramilitarism.
The promise is clear in the text: “in committing to these principles the parties do not agree simply to a passive acceptance of these values but to an active fulfilment of them”.
The paramilitarism that is deeply embedded in communities must be tackled with equal determination on all sides.
The arrangements set out for a strategy to disband paramilitary groups must be promptly put in place.
Together with the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, we will appoint a four-member international body to monitor and report on the implementation of a strategy to end paramilitarism.
This Government will also play our part in tackling organised crime on a cross-border basis.
Under the Agreement, a Joint Agency Task Force will be established to coordinate and enhance efforts to tackle cross-border organised crime.
We will bring to justice those involved in this insidious and savage threat that corrodes the core of a decent society.
The Government will also take a range of additional measures to bear down on paramilitaries and on organised crime, whatever its origin.
These include further investment in An Garda Síochána and establishing a Second Special Criminal Court to improve how the justice system deals with those charged of subversive or serious organised crime offences.
We will also review the existing legislation with regard to this area and strengthen it where necessary.
Dealing with the Past
The impact of the many atrocities perpetrated North and South lives long in our memory and is felt to this day.
I was acutely aware of this when I laid a wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland in Enniskillen just over two weeks ago on Remembrance Sunday.
Many families, continue to deal not only with the awful pain of losing a loved one, but with the struggle for answers decades after these traumatic events.
In many cases, the pain is compounded for those affected by events in which collusion with agents of the State has been alleged or proven.
Important progress was made on taking forward aspects of the Stormont House Agreement dealing with the legacy of the past.
I regret that it did not prove possible to resolve all of the key issues at this stage.
I share the deep disappointment of the victims and survivors and their families.
I want assure them that the two Governments will persist in our efforts to secure an agreed basis for the establishment of the institutions dealing with the past envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement.
Minister Flanagan will set out our position in detail in this debate.
Our fervent hope remains that these mechanisms will assist the transition to long term peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
Conclusion
This latest Agreement offers the promise of a fresh start.
It is a promise to the people of Northern Ireland that the burden of thuggery, intimidation and sectarian hatred will be taken off their backs once and for all.
It is a promise that peace can mean more than the absence of violence, 21 years after the ceasefires.
It is the promise of a prosperous and inclusive society to flourish to its full potential.
These public commitments are clear to all.
Accountability for their delivery is understood by all.
Failure to deliver will be judged harshly by all.
ENDS