The first Commons session of questions on Northern Ireland since the Christmas recess reflected cross-party optimism on the peace process. The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, was cheered as she rose to speak about her Maze visit.
She said: "I would like to put on record the many families and friends of victims of the people that I actually talked to who phoned me, some of whom I caused offence to - for which I apologise - others who had lost husbands, who had lost brothers, who had lost sons, who said to me: `Please keep going because if the talks can move forward then other families aren't going to have to go through the pain that our family has gone through'."
Dr Mowlam said it was the courage of the political parties and the people of Northern Ireland that had led to progress in the talks.
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, told Dr Mowlam he was particularly pleased with the positive response to the suggestion that there should be a council of the "British Isles to draw together all the interests within that wider group".
Mr Seamus Mallon, of the SDLP, said television coverage of Northern Ireland in recent days "should and must have shocked everybody into recognising that the political problems of Northern Ireland can only be solved in, by and through the political process".