Dr Mo Mowlam is expected to make an early response to the body of evidence compiled by the Government about the events of Bloody Sunday. It is understood that the Northern Secretary's office has been in contact with Dublin in recent weeks about the report compiled by the previous administration, which has also been the subject of keen discussion between the Northern Ireland Office and the Ministry of Defence in London.
Official sources insist that Dr Mowlam has not yet reached any definitive conclusions about the terms of her response or consequent future action. However, there is a growing expectation in some Labour, as well as nationalist, circles that her reply could add to the quickening sense of Labour's determination to implement "fairness and confidence-building measures". Dr Mowlam confirmed yesterday that she would scrap internment without trial when the North's emergency legislation comes up for review next August. Promising a significantly changed Act, Dr Mowlam also confirmed that she was looking at changes concerning the scheduling of offences, and audio recording in police holding centres.
But the centrepiece of a passionate speech to conference heard Dr Mowlam denounce sectarianism and declare the continuing imbalance between Catholic and Protestant employment levels in the North "unacceptable in any civilised society".
"It is indefensible that unemployment is still twice as high among Catholics as Protestants in Northern Ireland. This imbalance must be addressed. It is unacceptable in any civilised society."
The Northern Secretary said Labour's "welfare to work" proposals for the young and long-term unemployed would help. But she also announced a paper this winter in response to all 160 recommendations of the Standing Advisory Committee on Human Rights; an audit, already under way in every Northern Ireland Department, "to measure their success in achieving greater equality"; and an examination of ways in which to resolve complaints more speedily and strengthen action against persistent discrimination.
Dr Mowlam stressed that building confidence was a two-way street - "building confidence in one community just by knocking it down in the other is the wrong approach". But unionist anxieties about the direction of New Labour policy were unlikely to be alleviated by her reference to hearing from people in both communities that the principles of fairness, justice and equality of opportunity had too often been silent "whether in the last 30, 75 or 500 years".
Unionists in Brighton this week will also have to report back to their leaders on Dr Mowlam's clear emergence here as a firm conference favourite.
The Secretary of State was placed pre-eminently between the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister on the platform yesterday to hear Mr Blair's address to conference. And she could hardly have failed to notice that Mr Blair's tribute to her won him one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon.
In a surprisingly short reference to the North during a 6,000-word speech, the Prime Minister said there was no tougher job in government than Northern Ireland "and no better person to do it than Mo Mowlam."
Warning of "a long, long way to go", Mr Blair appealed, without naming them, to the absent unionist parties to join the negotiation process.
"In the name of humanity," he declared, "I ask that ancient enmities be put aside. Talking is no treachery. Agreeing is no betrayal. The real betrayal would be to let violence take the place of democracy in Northern Ireland again."
Meanwhile government sources last night confirmed there were potential implications for Sinn Fein and other Northern Ireland parties in Mr Blair's announcement yesterday of a Bill to ban foreign donations to political parties, and to compel all parties to make contributions of more than £5,000 public.
Gerry Moriarty adds: The decision to remove internment without trial from the statute book has been deplored by Unionists, but welcomed by Sinn Fein. Ulster Unionist Party security spokesman Mr Ken Maginnis described the move as "another concession to terrorists", designed to keep Sinn Fein in the talks process.
While the removal of internment might not appear of great importance, he viewed it as another payback to the IRA for their ceasefire. He indicated, however, that Dr Mowlam's announcement was unlikely to threaten the UUP's continued involvement in the Stormont negotiations.
The DUP secretary, Mr Nigel Dodds, said that the decision was another concession to nationalists. "Unionists who play the Northern Ireland Office game are patted on the head while nationalists pocket the real benefits. As the current talks continue, more of the same can be expected," he added.
Mr Francie Molloy, a Sinn Fein ardchomhairle member, said that the removal of the law, "which hasn't been used for over 20 years", was of no great significance.
"If this Labour government wants to build real confidence, it should scrap the current emergency legislation and refuse to put forward to the British parliament its proposed Emergency Provisions Bill," he added.