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Sunday, 16 January, 2000, 17:45 GMT

'Commons access for Sinn Fein'

Tony Blair: Commons oath will not change

The Prime Minister has supported moves to allow Sinn Fein MPs Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness access to House of Commons facilities.

But Tony Blair has said there are no plans to change the Commons oath to allow the Sinn Fein MPs to take their Westminster seats.

The Sinn Fein MPs had been denied the use of offices and allowances because of their refusal to take the parliamentary oath of allegiance to the Queen.

Speaking on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost programme Mr Blair said he was in favour of working out some way that the Sinn Fein President and Northern Ireland Education Minister Martin McGuinness could use House of Commons facilities without taking the oath because it could help the peace process.

"They are not getting paid and they are not able to speak in the House of Commons unless they take the oath, but I think the request that they have facilities here allows them to be more bound into the process and I think that's important," he said. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness refuse to take oath

Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness refuse to take oath

But Mr Blair added: " We have no plans to change the oath."

Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness both refuse to take their seats because the oath to the Queen is against their republican principles.

Talks on the issue have been taking place, although the speaker of the Commons, Betty Boothroyd is opposed to the move.

Mrs Boothroyd ruled after the 1997 general election that what she called "associate status" for MPs did not exist.

Paramilitary decommissioning

When asked about the methods that would qualify to fulfil the requirement for paramilitary decommissioning under the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Blair said that was a matter for the General John de Chastelain's decommissioning body. David Trimble: Under pressure over decommissioning deadline

David Trimble: Under pressure over decommissioning deadline

The First Minster David Trimble has said he and his Ulster Unionist ministers will resign collapsing Northern Ireland's new power-sharing government if IRA arms decommissioning has not started by the time his party's ruling council meets on 12 February.

Hardline Ulster Unionists and the anti-Agreement Democratic Unionist Party have said weapons must be physically handed in while republicans are understood to favour possible decommissioning by putting weapons "beyond use" in sealed concrete bunkers.

But while Mr Blair said there must be "verifiable decommissioning" he said he did not know about any proposal to decommission weapons in bunkers.

The Prime Minister added that there was still a lot of work to be done in Northern Ireland.

"We have come a long, long way in Northern Ireland but we still have a long way to go.

"I think for the first time this Christmas and new year people in Northern Ireland have greater hope than they have had for many years, but this process is not over yet by any means," he said.

Related to this story:
SF in Commons 'could endanger MPs' (13 Jan 00 | Northern Ireland)
Resignation pledge dogs Trimble (15 Jan 00 | Northern Ireland)
Another political D-day looms (14 Jan 00 | Northern Ireland)
Sinn Fein should take oath - Paisley (21 Dec 99 | UK Politics)
Crucial meeting for Trimble (14 Jan 00 | Northern Ireland)
Arms handover must begin - Trimble (13 Jan 00 | Northern Ireland)
Adams: Warning on arms ultimatum (12 Jan 00 | Northern Ireland)
Gearing up for IRA talks (04 Dec 99 | Northern Ireland)
Former PM optimistic on arms (04 Dec 99 | Northern Ireland)
Decommissioning: The paramilitary figures (01 Dec 99 | Northern Ireland)
The general who likes to destroy weapons (03 Dec 99 | Northern Ireland)
IRA appoints arms go-between (02 Dec 99 | Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland makes history (02 Dec 99 | Northern Ireland)

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