HC Deb 21 June 1990 vol 174 c692W
35. Mr. Adley

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his discussions with Northern Ireland political parties regarding the constitutional developments.

43. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how he intends to inform Parliament about progress with his talks with the political parties in the Province relating to some form of devolved administration.

Mr. Thurnham

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of his talks with political groups in the Province.

Mr. Brooke

I have had useful preparatory talks with leaders of the main political parties in Northern Ireland, and with others, on the possibility of embarking on collective discussions. I am encouraged by the constructive approach of party leaders to believe that the basis for such discussions exists. It is common ground that the resolution of such talks would need to comprehend the transfer of power to locally accountable political institutions, the relationship between such institutions and the Irish Government and the implications for the relationship between the British and Irish Governments.

Mrs. Gorman

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will seek to include representatives of the Conservative party in Northern Ireland in his talks on constitutional developments in the Province.

Mr. Brooke

In exploring the scope for political progress in Northern Ireland, I and my colleagues, take soundings from a wide range of political opinion, not excluding representatives of the Conservative party in Northern Ireland.