Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2015
870. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the progress on his request for answers through the release of British Government files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37339/15]
View answerThis is a repeat of my reply to oral question no. 135.
The Government fully supports the all-party Dáil motions of July 2008 and May 2011 urging the British Government to allow access by an independent international judicial figure to all original documents in their possession relating to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. I have raised this issue with the British Government on a number of occasions, including most recently on 8 October, and have received assurances from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that the British Government is actively considering how it can respond to the Dáil motions.
The Taoiseach has also raised this issue with Prime Minister Cameron, most recently on 18 June, emphasising the Government’s continued support for the Dáil motions.
Cases, such as the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, must be adequately addressed if we are to achieve a genuinely reconciled society. Successive Irish Governments, in our ongoing bilateral relations and through the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, have raised the issue of collusion with the British Government.
Many families, including those bereaved by incidents in which collusion has been alleged, continue to deal not only with the awful pain of losing a loved one, but with the struggle for answers decades after these traumatic events. I understand and acknowledge the frustration of families who for too long have had to contend with inadequate mechanisms for addressing their cases. For that reason, the establishment of a new comprehensive framework for dealing with the past, as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement, remains a priority of the Government. We believe that these mechanisms offer the best hope of helping the thousands of families touched by the Troubles – including those affected by collusion.
These institutions will include a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to take forward investigations into Troubles-related deaths, as well as an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR) to enable victims and survivors seek and privately receive information about Troubles-related deaths. Good progress is being made in the current political talks on the establishment of these institutions which I believe will assist all victims, including the victims of collusion, in their quest for justice and the truth.
