§ Rev. Ian PaisleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his oral answer of 25 June,Official Report, columns 373–74, to the hon. Member for Newry and Armagh (Mr. Mallon) what commitment he gave on the proposed strand 3 meeting of the Northern Ireland talks in his letter of 17 June to the hon. Member for Antrim, North.
§ Sir Patrick MayhewWhen I wrote to the hon. Member and to the other Northern Ireland party leaders participating in the talks on 17 June I was not able to give any commitment as to whether a meeting would take place on any particular date, because discussions with the Irish Government were still continuing. I accordingly gave none. The hon. Member will recall that the question from the hon. Member for Newry and Armagh related to a "written commitment to the Democratic Unionist party that a strand 3 formation meeting would take place this week." In a letter to the hon. Member for Antrim, North and other party leaders I did, however, confirm that the British and Irish Governments both envisaged that the meeting in question would take place the following week. I added that, for my part, I hoped it would take place in the early part of that week.