§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the reply received by his predecessor to her letter, with annexe, to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Irish Republic, sent in the second week of July and deposited in the Library on 13 July. [97780]
§ Mr. Mandelson[holding answer 9 November 1999]: The document deposited in the Library on 13 July was a draft letter from my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Marjorie Mowlam), to the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs. This letter, with its associated annexe and in parallel with the domestic legislation which was at that time being considered by the House, was intended to give effect to the fail-safe arrangements envisaged under the Way Forward proposals set out by the British and Irish Governments on 2 July. In the event, those proposals were not implemented and the letter was not sent.