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Northern Ireland

My Lords, I am extremely grateful for the warm welcome for the Statement from noble Lords opposite. It is a pleasure and privilege to repeat this Statement, knowing that truly it has bipartisan support. That is a mark of all the negotiations that have taken place, not just since 1998, but, as the noble Lord, Lord Strathclyde, said, also during earlier Conservative Administrations. We have come a long way: we all recognise that today. The noble Lord, Lord Strathclyde, asked about decommissioning. We have come a long way on decommissioning and the agreement sends a clear message to the men of violence that politics, not violence, is the way in which conflicts are to be resolved. It is hoped that the people who still have their arms will listen to that message and that they will decommission. However, to date there is no news of the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA decommissioning. As for the operational independence of the police, the operational independence of the chief constable will continue to be enshrined in legislation. So nothing should be read into the terminology within the agreement on that front. The noble Lord asked about the risk of more difficult negotiations in 2012. The agreement last week at Hillsborough marks a new phase in Northern Ireland politics. I believe that the agreement provides a very firm basis for addressing all outstanding issues and demonstrates the desire and capacity of all parties to work together on difficult issues in a spirit of co-operation. One of the working parties announced in the agreement is specifically looking at outstanding issues from the St Andrews agreement, and I am sure that it will consider all outstanding issues. I am also very grateful for the welcome from the noble Lord, Lord Smith of Clifton. He is right to say that although it is an enormous relief that the agreement has been reached, there is much more to be done. There has indeed been a fractured society in Northern Ireland for many years, but there appears to be a real will—not just on behalf of politicians but on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland—to move forward together. The noble Lord rightly said that everyone feels that the Executive must become more effective. That is why the agreement encompasses a working group which we hope will be chaired jointly by Sir Reg Empey, who has particular concerns about these issues, and Margaret Ritchie, whom we must congratulate as the new leader of the SDLP. Like the noble Lord, Lord Clifton, we believe that normal politics is what everybody in Northern Ireland desires and is striving for, and that we must look forward to a healthy democratic polity and a mature civil society.