§ 9. Angela SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of a stable economy on the peace process in Northern Ireland. [135605]
§ Mr. George HowarthA stable and improving economy in Northern Ireland is contributing greatly to the peace process in Northern Ireland, helping to build confidence and demonstrating that Northern Ireland is moving into a brighter and more prosperous future. The peace process has in return benefited the Northern Ireland economy. The Belfast agreement gave a tremendous boost to economic activity in Northern Ireland and the transfer of responsibility for economic matters to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 2 December gave back to locally elected representatives the power to take vital economic decisions for the benefit of the people of Northern Ireland.
§ 16. Charlotte AtkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what impact terrorist violence over the summer has had on the prospects for sustained peace. [135612]
§ Mr. George HowarthTerrorist violence over the summer and more recently has caused great suffering for many people in Northern Ireland. I hope the whole House will join me in condemning without reservation all of the recent violence and intimidation, which we all hoped had been left behind. I do not believe that it will prevent the achievement of a peaceful and prosperous society in Northern Ireland—that is what the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland want and voted for in the Referendum.
§ 24. Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process in Northern Ireland. [135622]
§ Mr. MandelsonWe continue to make steady progress in the implementation of the Belfast agreement. The Northern Ireland Executive recently published its first Programme for Government, an impressive range of measures to be taken by the devolved Administration over the coming year. Decommissioning and building confidence remain important priorities. The independent arms inspectors recently carried out a further inspection of IRA arms dumps: they also met the Northern Ireland political parties last week. The security forces continue to take action to deal with dissident republican and loyalist violence. However, I am confident that recent violence 257W will not deflect us from achieving for the people of Northern Ireland the real benefits that will flow from the full implementation of the Belfast agreement.