§ Mr. Gowasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on developments arising from his efforts to secure widespread acceptance of the Anglo-Irish agreement among those people of Northern Ireland who wish for no change of status of the Province.
§ Mr. Tom KingAs the Government have repeatedly made clear, the Anglo-Irish agreement has not effected any change in Northern Ireland's constitutional status as part of the United Kingdom. I accept, however, that there is widespread misunderstanding within the Province about both the terms and the operation of the agreement. I will pay particular attention over the coming months to remedying this, and I believe that longer experience of the practical workings of the Intergovernmental Conference will lead to a much wider appreciation of the true nature and advantages of the agreement.