Four legislative orders relating to the suspension and restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland were moved in the House of Commons last night.
The legislation was concerned with the suspension and subsequent restoration of the political institutions by the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr John Reid, in August and September. Under urgency procedures, parliament must ratify the orders within 40 sitting days and the delay was caused because Parliament was in summer recess.
Moving the orders before the Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation, the Northern Ireland Minister, Mr Des Browne, said: "I hope the committee agrees that these developments fully vindicate the Secretary of State's decision to suspend and restore the institutions on two occasions. His actions have achieved very real and tangible progress."
The orders will move to the House of Lords on Thursday.
The Sinn FΘin leader, Mr Gerry Adams, declared yesterday that the hijackers who flew airliners into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon were terrorists, but members of the IRA were not.
"The IRA is not a terrorist organization," Mr Adams told a news conference before meeting Prime Minister Jean ChrΘtien.
Canada's intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), listed the IRA in a May 2000 report as one of 50 groups targeted by its counter-terrorism programme. Mr ChrΘtien told reporters, before meeting Mr Adams, that Mr Adams was welcome in Canada.