§ Lord Tebbitasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the cause of peace has been advanced by their policies since 1 May.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Dubs)Yes. The Government have sought to do everything possible to advance the achievement of a lasting settlement through dialogue among all the political parties in Northern Ireland who are committed to exclusively peaceful methods. We have reaffirmed our commitment to the fundamental principle of consent. With the Irish Government we have put forward proposals on decommissioning which provide a basis upon which the multi-party talks could move on to substantive negotiations in early September. We have taken steps to establish whether Sinn Fein are prepared to make the transition to democratic politics and join in the talks process. We welcome the declaration of a ceasefire; we shall over the next six weeks carefully assess its quality.