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Northern Ireland

My Lords, it is one of the traditions of this House to thank the Member of the House who has introduced a Motion thus giving us a chance to debate it. I do so gladly. I am delighted that the noble Baroness, Lady Park, has given us the opportunity to   debate this important subject. I admire, and have admired over the years I have known her, her commitment to the subject, her dedication, and the tenacity with which she has always pursued it. Having said that, I do not always agree with her, and there are things that she said today with which I cannot agree, because I felt she was being negative and looking back rather than forward. She will understand, though; we have debated these issues before. I congratulate my noble friend Lord Rooker on his new post. I am sure he will rise to the responsibilities with his usual skill, aplomb and charm. I also pay tribute to the new Secretary of State, Peter Hain, and wish him well in his new responsibilities. I will say a few words about David Trimble. As the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mayhew, said earlier, history will judge David Trimble rather more kindly and generously than he has been by some members of his own party, and indeed by the voters of the constituency that rejected him. He has made an important contribution, and I hope that in the fullness of time that will be more fully recognised. I also join in the tributes to Paul Murphy. He has played an enormous role, both as Minister of State, when I was a junior Minister after the 1997 election, and more recently as Secretary of State. He has been consistently open to discussion. We have had many meetings with him as Members of this House. He has been low-key, modest and unassuming. He has earned the respect of all the parties in Northern Ireland, and that is not easy to do. It can be done on the day a new Minister arrives, but to have achieved that after several years in the post is not at all easy, and he deserves an enormous tribute for the way he has done that, and for his achievements. I ask the noble Baroness, Lady Park, rhetorically, perhaps, had there been no ceasefires and no peace process, how many people who are alive today would have been murdered by terrorists in Northern Ireland? Quite a large number, I suggest. Even if we feel that the process has not delivered everything it should have done—and I am the first to agree with that criticism—there are still people alive and uninjured today who would have been maimed by the murderers in Northern Ireland. If for no other reason, we should be grateful that there have been ceasefires, and that there has been a peace process. Of course, the criminality that continues today, even if it is at a lower level than 10 or 15 years ago, is unacceptable. The murder of Robert McCartney was appalling. So too was the Northern Bank robbery, which was also a violent crime: one of the staff members nearly died when she was abducted and then left. She might have died from hypothermia. Other crimes have been committed on both sides by loyalist and republican paramilitaries. These must cease. Let us look forward a bit. As recently as last April, just before the general election, Sinn Fein issued an important statement that suggested enormous progress. Today we are still waiting for the Sinn Fein response to that statement. I hope it will not be long in coming. It may be inadequate, but, if it is in keeping with the original statement, maybe there will be a breakthrough and progress will have been made. That is why I am more of an optimist than one or two of your Lordships who have spoken in today’s debate. If, as I hope, there is a clear and positive move by the IRA when they respond, it is also important that the other parties, such as the DUP, the Ulster Unionists, the SDLP, the Alliance and so on, will also respond to that. If we get an initiative that suggests there is a breakthrough, all parties should see it in that light. Only in that way can we get the assembly, the executive and the institutions restored. We got fairly close to that some months ago, and I trust that all parties will show a willingness to accept the Belfast agreement in full if there is a breakthrough, which is possible. Sinn Fein also know that it cannot long delay taking a full part in policing in Northern Ireland. The pressure on it to do so has come from all sides. The police reforms in Northern Ireland have been spectacular. The people have the right to demand that all their elected politicians play a full part in giving effect to the Patten reforms. After all, Catholic representation in the police today has doubled since that report, and it is worth recording that no plastic bullets have been fired since 2002—again, a sign that things are improving, but they have a long way to go. It must be in the interests of all Northern Ireland people for the economy to go on improving. The economy has made enormous strides: unemployment is lower, production is up, and there is a much better atmosphere for business and industry generally. However, for that to continue, it is important that we return to a local assembly so that local politicians can make the decisions. I say that with all due respect to my noble friend on the Front Bench. While it may be more difficult for some Members of this House, I believe that it is important that all the parties in Northern Ireland should accept that on a small island, the economic links between Northern Ireland and the Republic can only enhance the well-being of all in both areas. That requires a bit of a change in attitude. We need also to see a change in attitude within the business community of Northern Ireland. For too long, large sectors of the population, and in part the business community, have been reluctant to get involved in the political process, for understandable reasons. But closer links and a deeper understanding of the relationship between business and politics are important, and I should like to see the business community show, as it were, more respect for politicians and vice versa. Although it sounds as though I am lecturing, I want to make a one-word plea for vision. All in Northern Ireland, in particular all those who make decisions, need to show vision, imagination and a willingness to take risks. I recall visiting Dublin soon after the 1997 election, when I struck by the contrast between the self-confidence in the Republic and the relative lack of it in Northern Ireland. That is starting to change, and I am delighted to see the beginnings of more self-confidence in Northern Ireland. Let me declare an interest as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Integrated Education in Northern Ireland, about which I want to say a brief word. It is not the answer to all the problems, but it would help. So long as the majority of young people are educated separately from those of the other faith, the barriers between the communities are bound to remain in place. If young people never meet those of another faith, they may succumb to the temptation to demonise them. Surely that does not make for a healthy society. I hope that the Government will increase their commitment to integrated education over the coming years. Recently I opened an integrated school in Cookstown and I was delighted at the dedication and enthusiasm of the parents, governors and head teacher. I finish by referring to the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Laird. He knows that I am going to speak because I warned him in advance. I read the noble Lord’s speech of 24 May and I have listened to him today. I am sorry that he feels it necessary to criticise in the way he did the Taoiseach, the Prime Minister of a friendly country. I believe that he has gone too far in doing that and I do not think that it is in the best traditions of this House for him to have done so. Bertie Ahern has played an enormously positive role in helping us in the peace process in Northern Ireland. He and his Ministers have been resolute in their condemnation of IRA criminality, and that should be both recognised and respected. I am not sure that allegations of this sort are particularly helpful in what has otherwise been a very positive and constructive debate.