Northern Ireland

My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating the Statement. We on these Benches have also welcomed the IMC statement that the IRA no longer represents a terrorist threat. We recognise the significance of this, but share the Minister’s concern regarding the ongoing involvement of paramilitaries in criminal activity on both the loyalist and republican sides. We also pay tribute to Eileen Bell, who has been appointed to be Presiding Officer. We have worked with her for many years, and look forward to her being a success in that role. We also welcome the fact that the Government have now set a clear target for the reconstitution of the Assembly. My one criticism is that this has come a little too late. I suggested to this House over two years ago that we should reconvene the Assembly, and that we should give a fixed date for the termination of people’s salaries if they did not participate fully in its workings. I cannot disagree with what is being done because I urged it a long time ago. I was told that it would need primary legislation and all sorts of other things. I thought that was not very satisfactory, because one of jobs of this House, along with the other place, is to initiate primary legislation. I welcome the proposed Bill, and we will support it. As the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, said, it would be enormously encouraging if there were a cessation, or at least a considerable abatement, of paramilitary activity, and of criminal activity in particular. On the other side there will be a need for the Democratic Unionist Party to be more flexible in making this work, because if it retains its intransigent position, the situation is doomed to failure. I hear what the noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, says about any sharing with Dublin of the sovereignty of Northern Ireland. I agree with the legalities of that, but, as I also said two years ago, invoking the ire of the noble Lord, Lord Kilclooney, there will nevertheless be a de facto condominium. That is what the DUP should think about very carefully, because it is clearly going to happen. I do not want it to happen—I would much prefer devolution—but, as night follows day, it will be the logical outcome if Stormont is not up and running again. Broadly speaking, I welcome the Statement, while realising that it will be very tricky to bring the situation to a satisfactory conclusion. The job of this Government is far from over. They must continue to work with the parties in Northern Ireland to ensure that the Assembly is recalled on a permanent basis. Far too often in recent years, Northern Ireland has been subjected to quick-fix solutions which have ultimately failed. If this latest effort to restore the Assembly is to work, the Government must establish round-table negotiations which involve all the political parties. Will the Minister give a commitment today to establish such discussions? Will he assure the House that there will be no secret side deals with one or two of the parties, and does he recognise that, to achieve a permanent solution, all the parties in Northern Ireland must be in agreement on the way to go forward?