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Northern Ireland

May I, too, thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement today and for the briefing he provided yesterday? I associate myself and my right hon. and hon. Friends with the expressions of condolence expressed to the friends, families and comrades of Sapper Patrick Azimkar and Sapper Mark Quinsey, who were killed yesterday, and extend to those who were injured our very best wishes for their recovery. We also join the Secretary of State in his forthright and unambiguous condemnation of this senseless and barbaric act. May I also echo the sentiments that have been expressed elsewhere by the right hon. Member for Belfast, East (Mr. Robinson) as First Minister and by Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister? In particular, they have called for all communities to co-operate fully with the police investigation. For Martin McGuinness in particular to be able to make a call of that sort is an indication of just how far we have come in this peace process as well as of how much we have to lose. The communities in Northern Ireland have been well served on this occasion by both the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. On behalf of my colleagues, I place on the record our admiration of and support for Sir Hugh Orde, the Chief Constable, and his officers in the PSNI. As has already been recognised, they have been the subject of a number of aborted attacks. I am reassured by the Secretary of State's comments about the availability of every resource for their investigation, and I think that in time this event might give us some pause for reflection on the correct level of support and resourcing for policing in Northern Ireland from hereon in. Many will see this event as a threat, but I think we should see it not just as a threat but as an opportunity. It is an opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland to come together, as they did last night in Antrim, with a remarkable quiet dignity and determination, to show that nothing will turn this process backwards and that what we saw on Saturday night was not a glimpse of the future but a reflection of the past.