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Northern Ireland Bill

The Government will look at exercising that pressure and that power. However, I cannot accept the amendment moved by the hon. Member for Belfast, North because we believe that we must implement a deadline for the resolution of the Executive election for the offices of First Minister and Deputy First Minister. The deadline has been implemented so that we can secure that election in a reasonable time before 25 November and do what everyone who has spoken on both days of this debate wants to do, which is to take power from the British Government and give it back to the hon. Member for Belfast, North and his colleagues in Northern Ireland. I take the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, South that no deadline would mean an open-ended commitment. The deadline is not a threat, and it reflects the political reality of the situation. I recognise that DUP Members and the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) need to have trust in the republican movement that paramilitary activity and criminality have ceased, which is key to their entering the Assembly. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr. Campbell), who clearly expressed that point on Second Reading. I understand that an end to paramilitary activity, criminality and the possession of arms by the IRA is central to entry into the Assembly for the DUP. As the hon. Member for Tewkesbury recognised, progress has been made, and I shall pick a few quotes from yesterday’s IMC report to illustrate that point. Paragraph 2.13 states:"““It remains our absolutely clear view that the PIRA leadership has committed itself to following a peaceful path . . . We have noted the remarks by Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Féin””" that"““the war is over and that the movement is committed to the alternative political path.””" Paragraph 2.14 states that"““the leadership is engaged in a challenging task in ensuring full compliance with this strategy””." Paragraph 2.15 makes a key point:"““We are not aware of current terrorist, paramilitary or violent activity sanctioned by the leadership. We have had no indications in the last three months of training, engineering activity, recent recruitment or targeting for the purposes of attack.””" Finally, paragraph 2.16 states:"““We have found signs that PIRA continues to seek to stop criminal activity by its members and to prevent them from engaging in it.””" I recognise that until those matters are fully resolved, DUP Members will have difficulty in entering the Assembly, and I also recognise that the key to their entering the Assembly is the IMC report that will be introduced in October and November this year. However, I cannot support putting that point as a precondition in Bill in the manner suggested by the hon. Member for Belfast, North.