The Terms of Reference for the Strategic Review of Parading were announced in February 2007 and the appointments to the Review Body made in April 2007.

The Body held its first meeting in May. The establishment of devolved political institutions and devolved Government represents a new beginning for Northern Ireland and offers new opportunities to address difficult community issues.

We have been particularly encouraged by the desire of all those to whom we spoke to move from the conflict and contention of the past, where culture and traditions have been used as a political stick with which to beat each other, to a more normal situation where there is mutual tolerance, respect and understanding. We note however, that to achieve a fully normal society will require attitudinal change in all social spheres not just in parading and public assemblies.

We now have, perhaps, a unique opportunity to establish new procedures and structures, based on the principles of respect and tolerance, to reform the regulation of parading and to reconnect responsibility for difficult social issues with locally elected political institutions and leadership. A fundamental tenet of our recommendations is the re-engagement of the domestic political leadership in issues of parades and protests led by the Office of the First and the Deputy First Minister (OFM/DFM).

Throughout our deliberations, the need for transparency has been emphasised. To this end we have followed a policy of seeking the widest possible consultation from key stakeholders and others and have met hundreds of organisations and individuals from all parts of the community in Northern Ireland.

We attach great importance to getting community buy-in to our proposals and to keeping the community informed as we develop our strategic thinking around parading and public assembly issues.

It was in that spirit we published our interim report. The report details the Review's thinking to date and the principles, procedures and structures it believes would help remove the contention that has too often surrounded parades and other public assemblies. It is only with the support of all the communities in Northern Ireland that our proposals can work.

We recognise that transferring responsibility for public assemblies to the Northern Ireland Executive will not happen in isolation. The transfer of policing and justice matters to the Executive is part of the wider jigsaw of politics in Northern Ireland and progress in these areas is very likely to affect progress on the transfer responsibility for parading issues.

There are two issues on which we have still to reach a conclusion and these will form a critical part of our further consultations following publication of this report. They are the parades at Drumcree and the Ormeau Road and the interpretation of the rules set out in our Standards with regard to the UVF 1912 flag and the YCV flag. We recognise these are of vital importance and hope that, after further consultations, we are in a position to make recommendations to the Government on these matters when we deliver our final report.

We believe our proposals could and should be brought into effect in 2009 but unless and until new legislation is enacted, the Parades Commission will, in the interim, continue to be the final arbiter on parades.

The deadline for consultation on the Interim Consultative Report was 31 August 2008.