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Peace Process

3. Mr. Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD): If he will make a statement on the peace process. [187645]

The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr. John Spellar): As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hillsborough (Helen Jackson) and the hon. Members for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) and
 
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for Castle Point (Bob Spink), we are engaged in intensive negotiations with a view to bringing about a complete and definitive end to paramilitary activity and the restoration of the devolved institutions on a stable and inclusive basis.

Mr. Carmichael: Looking forward to the talks at Leeds castle next week, can the Minister assure the House that there are certain lines below which the Government will not go: in particular, that there will be no question of amnesties for those who are on the run until circumstances have been created whereby all those who feel unable to remain in Northern Ireland because of paramilitary threats are able to return to their homes; and further, that there will be no question of people being released or pardoned for crimes before a proper appearance in court?

Mr. Spellar: The hon. Gentleman is right that the issues that he identifies are dependent upon acts of completion. As the Secretary of State said here today and the Prime Minister said yesterday, it must be absolutely clear that any party that wants to sit in Government is not connected in any shape or form with paramilitary activity and that all paramilitary activity ceases completely. That is what we are aiming to achieve next week, and those are the preconditions for the restoration of devolved Government and all the other objectives that we all desire.

Mr. John Hume (Foyle) (SDLP): Given that for the first time in history the people of Ireland as a whole, North and South, have overwhelmingly voted for the Good Friday agreement, the Minister will agree that paramilitary organisations can no longer claim, as they have always done, to be acting in the name of the people. Will the Minister tell all the political parties involved in the talks that it is now the duty of all true democrats to implement the will of the people, which means implementing all aspects of the Good Friday agreement and not trying to renegotiate it?

Mr. Spellar: May I pay tribute to the part that the hon. Gentleman played in bringing about that agreement and, indeed, the much-improved situation in Northern Ireland? Although we still have further steps to go, we should remember that at the peak of the troubles 497 people were killed by paramilitary activity; last year it was nine, and this year, to date, it has been only three. That is three too many, but it is a major difference. The hon. Gentleman is right that the fundamentals of the Good Friday agreement are the basis on which the talks will take place next week. They provide the way forward that we hope to bring about at Leeds castle next week.

Mr. Desmond Swayne (New Forest, West) (Con): Does the Minister agree with the conclusion of the second report of the Independent Monitoring Commission that

"Law enforcement . . . is far from normal"?

In respect of the decision that will be taken tomorrow by the Chief Constable on the full-time reserve, will the Minister explain to the House how many officers will be available for operational duties in each district command unit?
 
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Mr. Spellar: In a sense, the hon. Gentleman answered his own question in the way that he framed it. As he said, the Chief Constable will announce his determination tomorrow. I am afraid that we, and he, will have to wait on that announcement.

Genito-urinary Medicine Services

5. Mrs. Iris Robinson (Strangford) (DUP): If he will make a statement on genito-urinary medicine services in the Province. [187647]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Angela Smith): At present, genito-urinary medicine services are delivered at four hospitals in Northern Ireland. The service has come under increased pressure, and work loads have doubled since 1995. I fully appreciate that waiting times for communicable diseases must be kept to a minimum and that patients should have access to a fast, effective sexual health service. To that end, a number of steps are being taken to address the current pressures.

Mrs. Robinson: I thank the Minister for that reply. However, she will be aware that only four consultants in Northern Ireland specialise in genito-urinary medicine, yet the Royal College of Physicians recommends that there should be one consultant to every 120,000 people. It is a matter of grave concern that we have increasing waiting lists and that we are understaffed in this specialist field of medicine. Can the Minister indicate what is being done to attract doctors, particularly junior doctors, to it? Will she consider extending the outpost clinics to rural areas of Northern Ireland rather than concentrating the services at the Royal Victoria hospital?

Angela Smith: The hon. Lady is right: we do have vacancies for consultants. May I tell her, though, that four specialist trainees are undergoing training and that that is sufficient for projected needs in Northern Ireland. The first of those trainees should be able to take up a specialist consultant's post in about a year's time.

The hon. Lady is also right to consider the way in which we deliver services. We are addressing that issue in terms of prevention and treatment. We are aiming to provide a more holistic approach so that people can access services not only at hospitals but in community settings such as GP surgeries.

Rev. Martin Smyth (Belfast, South) (UUP): The Under-Secretary referred to prevention. Although we welcome the work that has been done on treatment, does she agree that more needs to be done in sex education? Will she have a discussion with her colleague who deals with education to ascertain whether more funding can be provided to educate young people on tackling some of those problems in a world where there is so much pressure on them to experiment before they have an understanding of the issues?

Angela Smith: The hon. Gentleman is correct that prevention is an important part of controlling sexually transmitted infections. I assure him that education plays an important part in the 35 recommendations that the
 
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Department is currently considering. We are concentrating on that not only for the young but for the not-so-young.

Royal Irish Regiment

6. Mr. Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP): What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the future of the home battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment. [187648]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Ian Pearson): My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State discusses all relevant issues with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in relation to the profile of the Army in Northern Ireland. The situation in respect of the Royal Irish home battalions has not changed since the statement that the Defence Secretary made on 10 June 2003.

Mr. Campbell: Does the Under-Secretary accept that, when attacks such as the one that happened in the past three hours in a police station in Londonderry occur, it is essential that the Royal Irish Regiment is not only retained but used and deployed to protect police stations and Army installations in Northern Ireland?

Mr. Pearson: I have received a report on the attack on the Strand Road police station. Obviously, the matter is being investigated and I utterly condemn the senseless violence involved. It will not stop us engaging in the talks; we need to move forward.

I pay tribute to the Royal Irish Regiment, which has a distinguished history at home and abroad. As the hon. Gentleman rightly said, it continues to play a vital role. I stress that no decision has been made about the members of the armed forces who would be included in a permanent end-state garrison in Northern Ireland. We are currently recruiting new members to the home service battalions. [Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker: Order. I ask the House to come to order—it is very noisy.

Lady Hermon (North Down) (UUP): The Under-Secretary rightly paid a warm tribute to the RIR and its predecessor, the Ulster Defence Regiment. In the continuing discussions about the RIR's future, what genuine, active consideration has been given to creating a fund for UDR widows and their families, akin to the police fund for RUC widows and their families?

Mr. Pearson: The hon. Lady makes an important point. However, that is a matter for the Ministry of Defence, which is aware of the issue. I shall make arrangements for the Ministry to contact the hon. Lady.

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