Proposal to allow Northern MPs address the Dáil

A GOVERNMENT proposal that would allow Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams to address the Oireachtas will endanger the entire peace process, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said yesterday.

In a letter circulated to all party leaders yesterday morning, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern proposed that a new Oireachtas committee be set up to allow Members of Parliament (MPs) in the North speak on matters exclusively related to the Good Friday Agreement.

The historic move is a first step towards the long-time Sinn Féin goal of enabling their MPs to formally address the Dáil, and would give Gerry Adams and other MPs a forum to speak in Leinster House for the first time.