Matt Carthy
Question:1. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures he will introduce to ensure that the issuing of passports can be expedited in urgent cases. [29060/23]
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Passport Services
What measures will be put in place to ensure passports can be issued on an expedited basis in urgent cases? Will the Minister outline more recent developments with the Passport Office?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The passport service is successfully meeting high demand for passports and has issued more than 510,000 passports to date in 2023. All turnaround times are at their target level and more than half of all online adult renewals issue within two working days. The customer service hub is responding to an average of 15,000 queries per week.
I would like to highlight the efficiencies of the passport online service, which is by far the quickest way to apply for a passport. It is an award-winning online platform which places the Irish passport service among the most innovative in the world. Through the passport online service citizens also have the option of applying for a passport card, which is valid for travel to most EU countries as well as the UK.
The Passport Office offers an urgent appointment service in Dublin and Cork for passport renewal, with a one-day or four-day turnaround time in Dublin and a four-day turnaround time in Cork. There are almost 700 appointments available per week, which applicants can avail of using the online booking system. Due to the complex nature of first-time applications, it is not possible to process these as urgent appointments.
It is important to note that in the majority of situations where persons require an urgent appointment, their passport has expired and they only realise this close to their travel date. While every effort is made to provide a service for such circumstances, it must be done in a way that does not disrupt the service to those who have submitted in good time.
The passport service also has a dedicated team who expedite applications in cases of medical emergency or the death of a family member abroad, including for first-time applicants. Such requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be accompanied by sufficient supporting evidence of the emergency.
Paper applications do take longer, so there can be up to 30,000 paper applications in the system at any one time. This does lead to significantly more queries with paper applications compared with online which is much faster. It is only in cases of a life-or-death issue that a paper application for a passport can be prioritised.
I will meet representatives of the Passport Office later today. I thank the staff for their ongoing engagement with Oireachtas Members. There is broad agreement that there has been a significant improvement in the turnaround times for non-complicated renewals and even for first-time applications where there is no urgency. The Tánaiste is correct that the passport service comes at emergency cases from a very humanitarian and pragmatic point of view in terms of being able to assist. The cases I am raising are urgent cases. They may not be an emergency according to the definition but they are urgent cases in that someone has upcoming travel. The issue that has been raised relates to where an application is made in good time but where there is difficulty with documentation and it is sent back to the applicant. The applicant might respond again very quickly. The difficulty is that it can lead to a substantive delay. This has resulted in people missing their flights. It is these urgent cases where there is still a gap in the service.
I appreciate the focus of the Deputy in respect of urgent cases. The Passport Office has implemented operational and staffing plans for 2023. In general, it is meeting demand. All processing times are at their target levels. I have been told that there are no backlogs. As I said earlier, approximately half of simple adult renewals are issued within two working days. Approximately 18 competitions were run in 2021 to get staff. We have the customer service hub.
When documentation is sent back to people and applications are then resubmitted, they are not sent to the back of the queue as is commonly understood. We have 165 one-day and 250 four-day appointments available at the Passport Office in Dublin each week. There are 240 four-day appointments available at the Passport Office in Cork each week. This is one option relating to urgent cases that people can take. For a child renewal, a one-day appointment can be available and there is the four-day service. There are costs involved in this as there are for adult renewals.
There is a difference between urgent and emergency cases. I know Deputy Carthy is not speaking about emergency cases but urgent appointments. There is a service available for in-person passport renewals. If Deputy Carthy has any particular cases that could illustrate the issue for improvement, we will certainly engage with him.
I will give the example of a young woman in her early 20s who applied for her first passport. She had dealt with a number of tragedies over the previous year. She applied for a passport in January and did everything right as she saw it. The documentation was returned to her in April because the Garda who authorised the form had not filled in the logbook. This was through no fault of the applicant. The documentation was sent back and the woman who was due to travel on Monday was informed as late as last Friday of the position. I engaged with staff in the Tánaiste's office and was told there was nothing they could do. I had to email and text every person I knew in the Department and the Passport Office. In this case, there was a resolution but it was because I happened to be able to contact the right person, to whom I will be eternally grateful. I phoned the Oireachtas helpline and the Passport Office and emailed the Tánaiste's office, all to no avail. There were particular extenuating circumstances in this case, but it is not unique. I have dealt with dozens of cases, and I know other Deputies have dealt with hundreds where documents have been sent back. The applications may not be put to the back of the queue but those involved certainly experience delays as a result of having to resubmit.
They are certainly not put to the back of the queue. I want to stress this. I have been speaking to officials in recent days, and I am very clear about this. As Deputy Carthy said, the issue in the case he outlined was that the Garda did not record it. There was an issue with the Garda witness verification in that specific case. I do not have the full details. Where the passport service cannot reach a Garda station, there is a system in place whereby it contacts the relevant superintendent's office to verify the details. There is ongoing work between An Garda Síochána and the passport service. They have a very close working relationship. Training and guidance are regularly offered to gardaí on the correct completion of the required identity and consent forms. The passport service published an information advertisement in the May issue of Garda Review, An Garda Síochána's magazine, to try to assist with the process of witness and passport identity consent forms. Information leaflets containing detailed guidance have been shared.
We are consistently looking at ways to make the application process easier for people, including the enhancement of digital services. We would welcome the digitalisation of the records maintained by An Garda Síochána when witnessing applications. The general experience of the Passport Office is that issues with contacting Garda stations to verify witnesses is not a widespread phenomenon, but it can happen.
Foreign Policy
Mick Barry
Question:2. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to report on his preparation for the upcoming consultative forum on international security policy; if he will advocate a change to the State's foreign policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28834/23]
I would like to ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to give us a report on his preparations for the upcoming consultative forum on international security policy. He might indicate whether he will advocate a change to the State's foreign policy. Will he make a statement on these matters?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The international security environment has changed significantly over the past year. We have seen Russia's blatant disregard for international law and for Europe's collective security architecture, bringing war to the Continent. Ireland's commitment to a rules-based international order and our traditional policy of military neutrality do not inure us from the need to respond to this new reality. Against this backdrop, I hope that the upcoming consultative forum on international security policy will build a deeper understanding of the international security environment and the policy options available to the State.
The forum takes place later this month, on 22 June, at University College Cork, on 23 June at University of Galway, and on 26 and 27 June at Dublin Castle. The four days will comprise a number of panel sessions involving a wide range of stakeholders, with participation from civilian and military experts and practitioners. Attendance will consist of members of the general public, alongside representative organisations and invited guests with expertise and practical experience in the areas to be discussed. In-person attendance by members of the public is being allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. All discussions will be livestreamed, so anyone interested in engaging with the process will be able to do so. A written consultation exercise is also being run in parallel, which allows submissions to be made until 7 July.
This forum will engage in a broad discussion, focusing on a range of foreign, security and defence policy issues, and will not focus solely on the binary issue of neutrality. It will look at Ireland's work to protect the rules-based international order through our engagement in peacekeeping and conflict prevention, as well as our response to threats in the cyber, hybrid and maritime domains. As I have said on several occasions, the Government is not prejudging the outcome of discussions at the forum. There are no predetermined outcomes and participants will be free to raise any relevant issues. The independent chair, Louise Richardson DBE, will produce a report to be delivered following the forum's conclusion. Once the chair's report has been submitted to me, I will consider its findings and decide whether to bring forward recommendations to here or to the Government. Information is available and can be found at www.gov.ie/consultativeforum.
A wide range of speakers, yes; a wide range of viewpoints, I do not think so. I have the speaker list here. Let us go through it. It includes Andrew Cottey, NATO research fellow, Chris Johnson, fellowship in the US Air Force, Caitríona Heinl, who has advised NATO, and Christian Bueger, who has worked for the US Department of State and trained members of the Singapore Navy. Singapore was a dictatorship the last time I checked. John O'Brennan has raised joining NATO. James Mackey is director of security policy and partnerships in NATO and has worked in NATO for 20 years. Commander Roberta O'Brien of the Irish Naval Service is currently on secondment to the NATO defence-capacity-building unit. I give the last word on the matter to economist Dan O'Brien, who stated: "I think we would be right to join NATO." They say that birds of a feather flock together. If that is the case, it would seem to me that many hawks are flying into Cork, Galway and Dublin over the next couple of weeks. How can the Tánaiste say that this is anything other than a pro-NATO jamboree?
That was a disgraceful presentation. The Deputy mentioned Andrew Cottey. He is the holder of the Jean Monnet chair at UCC. The Deputy should not name people and try to undermine them in the way he has just done. That is shocking intolerance of the whole idea of debate. Why is the Deputy so opposed to people with different perspectives coming together in a framework to have discussions?
Because I do not think the perspectives are very different.
In this House, there are different perspectives on all sorts of issues. It seems as if the Deputy is saying that if someone holds a particular position, he or she should not even be in the House. Deputy Berry might have a particular view on a range of issues which differs from that of Deputy Barry, but Deputy Barry seems to have an approach of complete intolerance when it comes to Deputy Berry's right to speak. I am sorry for dragging Deputy Berry into it, but that is my point. Deputy Barry did not mention Roger Cole or others with perhaps different perspectives who will also be speaking at this forum, nor did he refer to people who might have different perspectives generally.
Give me a few more names.
The Deputy has the names.There are quite a number of them. He picked five or six. He has been unfair to those individuals too. His intolerance of debate and his attempt to try to undermine people by attacking them as opposed to the commenting on issues is reprehensible. I have no time for this; it is outrageous carry-on.
The Tánaiste can rant and rave all he likes. The point is this. He mentioned Roger Cole, who is with the Peace and Neutrality Alliance. A representative of one NGO has been chosen to speak. I challenge the Tánaiste to name one, two or three people from the long list he has in front of him who will present an alternative point of view in a broad sense.
Alternative to what?
Alternative to the agenda that the Tánaiste is promoting of militarisation, increased military co-operation, and edging the society towards closer co-operation with NATO. The list of names the Tánaiste spoke of is more groupthink than a debate in Irish society or a real forum. He has picked the judge, jury and overwhelmingly pro-NATO witnesses. It would seem that members of the public have the right to ask questions but not really to speak, address and engage at the forum. I will conclude by saying that I welcome the fact that the Cork Neutrality League will be protesting outside the first meeting at UCC next Thursday. I wish it well, as I do those who will be protesting in Galway and Dublin. Their voice needs to be heard. It is the voice of those who oppose military alliances.
Our position on military neutrality is very clear. It is not changing, even in the context of this conference. There is no predetermined outcome. Is the Deputy saying that Professor Gary Murphy is problematic? I can go through the full list. It is not fair to single out any individual. These are people who have achieved academic positions in various institutions. I find the thought process behind the Deputy's approach most troubling. To a certain extent, it is more than just intolerant of the right to free speech and different perspectives. A plurality of views is needed when we are discussing issues, whether national or global.
The Tánaiste has not got them at this forum. Where are they?
The Deputy's perspective is one where if a person even has a hint of a view that is different to his, that person should not be given a platform.
Not at all.
The Deputy mentioned Dan O'Brien. Ireland is about free media, free speech and free rights to ideas and opinions. The Deputy seems to want to extinguish certain ideas before they even have a chance to get a platform. He does not even want to give platforms to people who might have an alternative view to his. That is extraordinary.
That is precisely what the Tánaiste has done with this biased and one-sided speaker list.
There is a very broad range of views. I challenge Deputy Barry on this. He is not going to get away with snuffing out debate by attacking people as opposed to dealing with the issue.
The Tánaiste is not going to get away with a speaker list like that.
Middle East
Matt Carthy
Question:3. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his response to the recent incursion of Israeli forces into Ramallah; his engagements with his EU counterparts on this matter; and if he has raised objections with the Israeli Government. [29061/23]
I ask the Tánaiste if he will give his response about the recent incursion of Israeli forces into Ramallah and his engagements with his EU counterparts in respect of holding Israel accountable for its war crimes.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am extremely concerned by the incursion by Israeli forces into Ramallah last week, which was significant in scale and resulted in civilian casualties, several resulting from the use of live ammunition. This action forms part of a deeply worrying trend that we have witnessed over recent months, including the raids by Israeli forces on the city of Nablus and Jenin refugee camp, which have been previously raised in this House. It is telling that, against this backdrop, the United Nations has reported that the number of Palestinian fatalities in the first quarter of 2023 is almost three times higher than the same period in 2022. Palestinian injuries from live ammunition are six times higher.
I am concerned not only by the fact of this encouragement but also its objective: the demolition of the family home of a person accused of a terrorist attack. The fourth Geneva Convention provides that no protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. I have not yet engaged in detail with the European Union's Israeli counterparts on this specific incident but I have consistently set out Ireland's principled position, namely, that Israel is the occupying power and it must abide by its obligations under international law, including the requirement to protect the civilian population. Recourse to measures that are clearly contrary to international law will only lead us further away from a negotiated peace based on a two-state solution.
Ireland does not stand alone on this. The European Union has repeatedly called on Israel to halt continued settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions and forced transfers. In February, the UN Security Council reiterated its strong opposition to all unilateral measures that impede peace, including the demolition of Palestinian homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians. I urge Israel to pay heed to the international consensus on such actions.
The encouraging of the large Israeli military convoy into Ramallah led to at least 35 people being wounded, at least 20 of whom received their injuries from live bullets. Israeli forces were ostensibly seeking to demolish the home of a man accused of attacks in Jerusalem last year, but that practice of Israel is described as collective punishment, which is illegal under international and humanitarian law. As the Tánaiste knows, these injuries follow the killing of 112 Palestinians by Israeli forces in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the first five months of this year. Those 112 people include 27 children but do not include Haitham al-Tamimi, who was shot and injured in June while driving his car with his three-year-old son, Mohammed, who died four days after the attack. These events continue to occur. Israel continues to act with impunity. Unless we undertake a strong international response, these events will continue and we will eventually become culpable.
I share the Deputy's revulsion at what has happened. Thirty-five people were wounded, including 20 by live bullets. Two people reportedly suffered serious abdominal wounds, while another was hit in the head by a rubber-coated metal bullet. The family apartment was on the first floor of a four-storey building. Its destruction has displaced the parents and four sisters of the accused. This may amount to collective punishment. It is collective punishment, which is a war crime under international law. Ireland has taken a principled and strong stance on the broader Israel-Palestinian issue for a long period and it has been consistent. We work with other European countries, especially like-minded member states, to see whether we can get a stronger position in respect of this, and to try to create conditions and a framework for a meaningful and viable two-state solution. It seems to me that solution, as this kind of activity continues, is receding.
To illustrate the difficulty the international community is in, this week members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence held an informal meeting with commissioners from the UN commission of inquiry that is looking into human rights issues in Palestine and Israel. It published reports to the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in which it is critical of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hamas and the Israeli regime. The fundamental difference is that of those three the Israeli Government is the only one that not only refuses to engage but refuses the UN commission access either to Palestine or Israel, and has actually embarked on an international propaganda exercise to discredit the very esteemed members of that commission.
If there is a situation where an Israeli Government that has preferential treatment as regards its trading relationships with the EU, as well as other entities, can simply ignore, prevent and obstruct the work of UN commissions of inquiry, does the Tánaiste agree we need to move beyond the very strong rhetoric into equally strong actions against that regime?
I ask for the Deputy's co-operation. I do not wish to keep interrupting him.
The most effective approach will have to be a collective one within the European Union. There is no consensus across Europe in respect of this issue. There is consensus regarding the violation of international law and the expansion of settlements, but how one puts flesh on the bones of newer policy initiatives is more challenging and difficult. As I said, Ireland, along with other like-minded states, wants to strengthen its relationship and that of the EU with the Palestinian National Authority, and put it on a level footing or a level approximating to the level of the relationship with Israel. We want to increase dialogue with the Palestinian National Authority on a more ongoing basis at EU level, and continue and strengthen our supports to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, which provides significant relief and educational supports to children in Gaza and the occupied territories more generally.
Passport Services
Verona Murphy
Question:4. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the further measures his Department is considering to alleviate some of the difficulties being experienced with first-time passport applications, particularly when additional information is requested and the timeframe added to the application in that instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29063/23]
A similar question has been asked by Deputy Carthy on this issue, but the Tánaiste might wish to elaborate on it. What further measures is the Department of Foreign Affairs considering to alleviate some of the difficulties being experienced by first-time passport applicants, particularly when additional information is requested and the timeframe that adds to applications in those instances? I ask him to make a statement on this.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. First-time applications are the most complex due to the necessary checks involved to verify the identity and citizenship status of the applicant. All passport applications are subject to the requirements of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. I am pleased that the turnaround time to fully complete first-time online applications remains at 20 working days.
The passport service continually works to enhance the service to provide further efficiencies for customers. A number of improvements were made to the passport online platform in April 2023. These include a customised list of the supporting documents required for first-time applicants, an eircode look-up tool to facilitate the input of postal addresses and a new integration feature with the general register office. This integration benefits a significant cohort of first-time child applicants, who are no longer required to submit a physical birth certificate. So far, almost 16,000 birth certificates have been digitally received by the passport service in this way. These upgrades help to reduce the administrative burden for applicants. In addition, the customised list of documents provides a bespoke list for each applicant based on his or her particular situation, which will reduce the number of applications for which insufficient or incorrect supporting documents are submitted.
The passport service has also been actively working to reduce the number of original documents required for a passport application, and very positive changes have been introduced in this regard over the past 18 months. In cases where further supporting documents are required from the applicant, every effort is made to let the applicant know as soon as possible. It is currently not possible to notify the applicant sooner due to the volume of applications being received.
Paper applications take longer and there can be up to 30,000 paper applications in the system at any one time. This leads to significantly more queries with paper applications compared to online, which is faster. It is only in cases of a life-or-death issue that a passport can be prioritised. Applications enter a queue and are checked in order of date received. The passport service has a system in place whereby these applications do not go to the back of the queue. Requests for additional photographs are processed within ten working days of receipt of the new photo for online applications. All other requests are processed within 15 working days of receipt of the additional documents.
I thank the Tánaiste. The passport helpline and its staff are very helpful. Their advice is always helpful, as it should be. I do not wish to be argumentative but there are certainly issues. I had one yesterday where the gentleman concerned applied in time. Unfortunately, however, he applied online and was put at the back of the queue. It is the same issue Deputy Carthy brought to the Tánaiste's attention, namely, his passport photograph was stamped by the garda involved over that garda's signature on the form and the application was rejected. When the gentleman went back, the garda did the same thing. However, the gentleman addressed the issue immediately because he knew to do so. This is an instance where somebody has been put to the back of the queue. The tracker now states that his passport will not be issued until August.
He travels next week. While I do not want to argue with the Tánaiste, I would like clarity. If he is saying that is not happening, then the tracker should have no imposition and he should be in receipt of his passport in time for travel.
I cannot comment on specific cases but I am being told it does not go to the back of the queue. We constantly recruit staff. We have had 18 competitions since 2021 to address staffing needs in the passport service and 200 temporary clerical officers have been assigned to that service since January 2023, in the context of further measures. I will look at that case to see if it illustrates a wider problem. These are basic things involving stamping of forms. We should be practical on all sides in processing these issues.
I agree. It is not to ridicule the staff because they are quite good. It is a Department with which I have a lot of engagement, unfortunately, but it is generally not its fault. In the age of technology we live in, surely we can devise a system whereby if a garda signs a passport photograph, he can hit a button and put the application number of the form on the system to say he signed it. We do not need a record or phone calls. It is there, just like the Tánaiste is saying with the birth certificates. That is something we might look at.
I do not know if the Tánaiste is aware but if Deputy Carthy is meeting representatives of the Passport Office he should be aware there is a big issue with the tracker. It is not working. We were advised yesterday again that there are problems. I know of someone whose passport was due on 9 May on the tracker. They have no problems, yet they have not received the passport. The tracker is a big issue that needs addressing.
I met with officials yesterday in relation to the Passport Service. No one identified that issue with the tracker but I will revert and communicate what the Deputy said. Our Department would welcome the digitisation of the records maintained by An Garda Síochána when witnessing applications. Significant improvements have been made. The birth certificate has seen a huge improvement and significant innovation. I think that is now up to 16,000. We are constantly looking at ways to reduce the number of original documents that have to be submitted. The more we can do online, the better. In the last two years post-Covid, there has been an exponential rise in passport applications. We are at 510,000 for the first six months of this year and will probably get to 1 million, as we did last year. We have to improve and constantly innovate, are doing that and will continue to do that.
Official Engagements
Matt Carthy
Question:5. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to report on his recent engagements with representatives of the British Government. [29062/23]
I ask the Tánaiste if he will report on his recent engagement with representatives of the British Government, particularly his engagements in response to the inadequate amendments made to the so-called legacy Bill.
I meet with British Government representatives on a regular basis bilaterally, in multilateral fora and at the British-Irish Council, BIC, and British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, BIIGC.
I attended the last BIC in Blackpool while Taoiseach and will join the current Taoiseach in Jersey for the 39th BIC summit today and tomorrow. I will meet at the summit with representatives of the British Government and the other BIC member administrations, where the focus of discussions will be on Building for the Future: Green and Affordable.
Following the last BIIGC meeting in Dublin in January, I look forward to another substantive engagement with British Ministers at next Monday's BIIGC in London. The conference, established under strand three of the Good Friday Agreement, enables engagement on matters of mutual interest within the competence of the United Kingdom and Irish Governments.
In addition to meeting in BIC and BIIGC formats, I am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We spoke by telephone on Monday evening last. This followed our recent face-to-face meetings in Banbridge on 25 May and a lengthy bilateral engagement on 16 May in Dublin. In my recent contacts with the Secretary of State, we spoke about the urgent need to restore the Northern Ireland political institutions. I also reiterated the Government’s ongoing opposition to the British Government’s legacy Bill, which could cause lasting damage to the work of reconciliation on this island.
I engaged with the Secretary of State and other British representatives at the Queen's University Belfast Agreement Twenty Five conference and the Government's Sharing Peace, Sharing Futures: 25 Years of the Good Friday Agreement event at the Abbey Theatre in April.
I met with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February and I hope to engage with him and other British Government and international representatives at the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on 21 June.
I thank the Tánaiste for that. The legacy Bill has been well debated in this House and elsewhere. There is unanimous political opposition on this island to the British Government’s proposals. It is not simply something we oppose but also something that breaches unilaterally an agreement reached between the two Governments and the political parties at Stormont House on dealing with legacy in a human rights-compliant manner. The British Government has reiterated it is planning to rush the Bill through both Houses of Westminster to become law by 26 July. That is a travesty and a perversion of the legal process. The objective is clearly to end citizen’s rights to due legal process with a particular view, from a British perspective, to denying people access to information in cases that led to deaths at the hands of British forces in the North. Considering this breaches an agreement reached between the Irish and British Governments and the political parties in 2014, can we go beyond words in challenging the British Government? Is the Tánaiste’s Department looking at mechanisms whereby this can be challenged more forcefully?
The United Kingdom Government published an extensive list of amendments to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill last week. We have opposed the Bill from the outset. It is a unilateral action and I have been consistent in this House in calling out unilateral actions by the British Government in respect of issues under the Good Friday Agreement. I believe the most effective way forward is a collective approach between the two Governments and, in the context of legacy, the political parties and groups representing families and victims of all those killed and injured during the Troubles.
Our analysis of the amendments published is they will not allay our fundamental concerns or those of many others about this Bill and its compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. We will continue to urge our UK counterparts to pause the Bill and return to the table in the spirit of partnership. There has been growing international concern about this. We are aware of calls for the Irish Government to take an interstate case against the United Kingdom before the European Court of Human Rights on the legacy Bill. It is premature to take decisions on that. We will keep this under review and the option is there if our decision is to go down this route. We will continue to engage with the British Government to see if we can get this Bill paused.
I was at Talbot Street on the anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings again this year. I commend the Justice for the Forgotten group on ensuring the story of those bombings is more clear and evident, though it is not yet fully transparent because the British Government has refused to accede to wishes expressed on a number of occasions by this House for it to release all its information. Does the Tánaiste mention that when he meets with the British Prime Minister directly? Does he challenge the British Government to release their files on those bombings? Will he, in his next direct engagement with the Prime Minister, privately and publicly call on him to ensure the families of Dublin and Monaghan have what they deserve, which is the truth and perhaps even justice at some stage?
I do, and we have consistently raised the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the need for full disclosure and release of documents pertaining to that atrocity.
I too was at the remembrance ceremony and commemoration. I pay tribute to Justice for the Forgotten for the consistent manner in which it has commemorated those who lost their lives. Its representatives remember those people but also raise the issue of justice. I have met many victims' groups since I became Minister for Foreign Affairs. As Taoiseach, I also met many victims' groups. There is a collective need and obligation on everybody who has information to come forward and to bring closure, if that is possible, to the families of those who have lost their lives and have been murdered, whether by State forces or paramilitary groups. I respectfully say that Sinn Féin also has a role to play in this regard by meeting with victims' groups, particularly in respect of those who were murdered by the Provisional IRA. Better engagement on legacy on that front needs to happen across the board. I have met victims groups who cannot get meetings or information about what happened. That is my view on the broader picture. We must be victim-centred. We are victim-centred and our entire approach in all of this is through the prism of the victims and their families.