Republic of Ireland (Hansard, 9 March 1978)

§ 4. Mr. Madden
asked the Secretary of State for Northern. Ireland when he next intends to meet Ministers from the Republic of Ireland.

§ 8. Mr. Flannery
asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any plans to meet the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic.

§ The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Roy Mason)
I look forward to further meetings with Ministers of the Irish Republic before too long, but I have no firm plans for such meetings at present.

§ Mr. Madden
When the Secretary of State meets Irish Ministers will he make clear that the Government have no truck with rumoured Tory policy proposals of withdrawing the franchise from citizens of the Irish Republic who have been resident in this country, in some cases for many years, and that we would be wholly opposed to any change of that sort?

§ Mr. Mason
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. I hope that this fact will be fully conveyed to the Irish authorities so that they may know where we stand. However, I am not responsible for what appears in the Press and for what other hon. Members may say.

§ Mr. Flannery
When my right hon. Friend eventually meets the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic, will he undertake to explore with him in some depth, if possible, the question of the change of policy from the previous Irish Government to the present in regard to the presence of British troops in Northern Ireland? In exploring that issue, will he, in particular, take into account the expressed view of both communities in Northern Ireland on this important matter?

§ Mr. Mason
Certainly the next time I meet the Prime Minister or the Foreign Secretary of the Republic I shall discuss such matters with him. Those matters are wholly relevant to the situation in Northern Ireland, but I have not yet 1586 detected a major change of policy by the South on that issue.

§ Mr. Neave
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that no such proposals with regard to Irish voting rights exist outside newspaper articles, and that no such statement has been made? Will he tell the Irish Government that raising the spectre of British withdrawal at the present time simply encourages subversion and terrorism in Northern Ireland? Will he protest against the reported denunciation by the Irish Foreign Minister, Mr. O'Kennedy, of the undertakings given at Sunningdale in 1973 with regard to the status of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom?

§ Mr. Mason
That all depends on how wide the discussions roam once we meet. Raising the spectre of military withdrawal is bound to cause some turbulence in the North. That has been accepted, and the Taoiseach has been fully aware of that.

§ Mr. Powell
Without any disrespect to the right hon. Gentleman or criticism of him, would it not be appropriate that talks between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the Irish Republic should normally take place under the aegis of the Foreign Office?

§ Mr. Mason
Yes, there are many matters that would primarily go through the Foreign Office to the Irish Republic. Most major matters would be carried on on that basis. I do not, however, want the House to believe that we do not have ministerial contact with the South. In the last six months my Ministers and I have met at least seven Ministers of the Fianna Fail Government.

§ Mr. Fitt
Does the Secretary of State agree that Sunningdale was brought to an end by the action of the strikers in May 1974 and that it is highly unrealistic to expect any partner to that agreement faithfully to fulfil that pledge? Will he say whether it is true that on Monday afternoon of this week a Diplomatic Note was sent by this Government to the Dublin Government regarding allegations of cross-border activity, and that the Government in Dublin have completely rejected the terms of that note?

§ Mr. Mason
I would have thought that most right hon. and hon. Members had learnt the 1974 lesson concerning 1587 Sunningdale. That is one of our difficulties in trying to make political progress. As for the other matters, the information regarding the wider use of the Republic was conveyed to the Dublin authorities three months ago and before I made my speech on Monday. I hope that that sort of matter will now be pursued through the official channels.