Éamon Ó Cuív on persuasion, prisoners and the security report

Minister, I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution to this debate. Now, unfortunately, I didn't get an opportunity to read the report placed before the House, but I would certainly do that because I think, or I hope, it will be very, very informative. Now, I noticed from the speech you gave here today, that you say the report also provides a brief assessment of the security situation, and then you outlined that there are constraints of what you can say, but you do say that it is clear that the so-called dissident Republicans who have their allegiance in the provision in IRA and INLA continue to pose a threat. despite the progress towards peace over the years, they continue to seek to return to the fruitless violence of the past. You go on and say further, we must continue to do all that we can to deal with this threat and let no one be under any illusion that these groups do not represent a threat, although, thankfully, this is lower than in the past. Now, obviously, I totally oppose violence, I have always opposed violence, but I remember back in the 90s, getting involved in visiting Republican prisoners because I believe in talk, I believe in persuasion, and I believe that those discussions played a role in the ultimate agreement, the Good Friday Agreement, and the work that was done during that period with the prisoners who became persuaders towards an agreement, was key. Now, we have a situation here, unlike the other jurisdiction on this island where there are totally different set of circumstances, we have a situation here that if we look at the actual record, I think there were 30 prisoners in the E Block, in Port Alicia, at the end of 2020. Well, as you know, I am in discussions with the people who are there, I visit on a regular basis and will continue to do so. If nobody has gone in, there is one person waiting extradition to the north, but nobody has been convicted and gone in there, there is nobody on remand, there is nobody out in bail, to my knowledge, from the E Block. By the end of next month, the likelihood is that we will have four prisoners there. To me, that tells us something. It tells us something that is backed up by the work of the IRC, the Independent Reporting Commission that was appointed by the two governments, and who themselves are approaching this whole issue with a two-pronged approach, and that is that, obviously, the arms of justice followed their procedures, according to the Sioghána in this state, the courts and so on, but on the other hand, as we all know, if you can persuade people to pursue another road, a political road, it is probably the most powerful road of all in ending violence. I have spoken to you before, and I know you have done Trojan work on this, on the key recommendation of the latest IRC report in relation to appointing a facilitator to enter into dialogue with paramilitary groups. I know, too, that the challenge here was that you needed both states, that the British Government, to agree to the appointment of such a person, and that you have worked hard to progress this. From all of my dealings, and I am dealing with human beings, and dealing with real people, from all my dealings in this regard, I believe that the evidence is there, in the figures I have just outlined, that progress is being made by persuasion. Because if it was quite as simple as the very stark picture here, it would be hard to see that nobody would have come before the courts, and been incarcerated in the E-Wing, in the last number of years. And I think we need to renew our efforts, to once and for all, persuade all Republicans of all colours, that the best way forward, is through peaceful means. It has been successful in the past, and I would hope that it will be successful in the future. I think your report is in kind of three sections. You talk about international terrorism, and I have to confess very little knowledge about that. But I do accept that it could, or that an event could take place in this jurisdiction at any time, and you would have to have the wherewithal to deal with it. And then you have the Criminal Justice Amendment Act 2009, focused on gangland crime, which I do accept is a major challenge in our society, and particularly the scourge of drugs are a major challenge. And there is a challenge everywhere. There is a challenge in the prisons, there is a challenge in society, and I would have to say that I believe that all of those who use drugs, and some people, people from all classes and sections and all parts of our society are using illegal drugs. And I wonder, do they ever question themselves? What is the problem of these drugs, who brought them in? What criminality was involved? What profitability, illegal profitability, and misery of people is involved in these so-called recreational drugs, which I have to say I find very, very difficult to accept. I would just like to join in those who would support the implementation of the review of the various acts involved here. And I do notice that these involved in an analysis, and that you say that you are going to bring a response to the review to government in due course. Now, I always have to say whether it is a very trite question or a very serious question, when departments talk about due course, I look at that and I say, would somebody give me an interpretation of that as to what they mean by in due course? Because it can mean literally as long as a piece of string. And I do think it would be very, very useful if we were given some indication of a time scale, in which we would get this report, and what it is intended to change, and what new legislation should be brought in to replace the present acts. So, are, to go lord or question it in this. Crediu mhéinn, go will do lal Cyncnn now be ag dianta mad, le cairn eil ae e ar chyginn i gagne bai ple, le fharia gain, le tanbobluch tónach o sa cair Cyncnn. Eith dwai go eol ou lal ae gwrf jaiod ar iane. Crediu mhéinn, go bea nawrlí é she's thafo chte, agus go sta ar thorough go bella They came to me and they had Besides and I smiled at the beginning in March and I didn´t tell you my story and I wasn´t the only thing about my life. That was very easy to tell. I told you I´m gonna love you. I´m gonna tell you. I´m going to give you a problem." I'm going to say, I'm going to tell you to say, that all these things are important to know that there are many of the IRC that they are in the middle of the country, and that's what I'm thinking about in the country, and it's important to know that the government is going to take away the EU. I'm not sure if I've been on the ground, but I've had a few questions and I've been on that side to make a question for people to talk to them about the right time. And I think, if you're not alone, you will be willing to talk to them about the right time. There are not only three years ago, there were three years ago. There were three years. One year ago, there was three years ago, and the 균ける came into the city. There were a few years ago, but there were three years ago and a half years ago. And I think that's what I can say. I was going to be in the same room when I was in the room, and I didn't have a great time. And I was really excited about that. And I was like, I'm not going to have a great time. I've been with you, and I've been with you. And I'm not going to have a great time at all. I would like to thank the people.