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Northern Ireland

My Lords, I wholeheartedly welcome the Government’s Statement today and thank the Leader of the House for addressing us this afternoon. Before I proceed further, I draw the House’s attention to the fact that I am a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the East Belfast constituency. The agreement that was announced at Hillsborough Castle on Friday represents the successful conclusion of a long and arduous negotiating process. Although there were numerous dark days and false dawns, the determination of my party to succeed never wavered, and the perseverance of our negotiators has achieved a deal that we can recommend with confidence to the people of Northern Ireland. Indeed, we will consult the community in the next few weeks. In particular, I pay tribute to the dedication and commitment of my party leader, who, despite personal difficulties, devoted himself unstintingly to the task of achieving a successful outcome to the negotiations. This agreement not only represents an appropriate resolution of the problem of devolving policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, but reflects the strong public desire for cross-community co-operation through the successful functioning and development of the devolved institutions. The agreement was made in Ulster with the agreement of most political parties, and it provides a solid framework for the devolution of policing and justice powers while at the same time resolving the parading issue that had the potential to frustrate progress in the future. It is regrettable that not all parties have seen fit to participate fully in the negotiating process. Indeed, at least one party has to date refused to support the agreement that was arrived at. It must be hoped that the party concerned will be made aware of the serious damage to the peace process that its continued obstinacy may cause, and that wiser counsel will prevail.