Terence Flanagan
Question:316. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of her investigations into the Stardust tragedy in 1981; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45269/15]
View answerTuesday, 15 December 2015
Questions (316)
Written answers
As the Deputy is aware, following my meeting with the Stardust Victims Committee last year I appointed an official in my Department to liaise with them in relation to matters about which they have expressed concern.
A researcher associated with the Stardust Victims' Committee submitted material relating to these events to my Department and a meeting was held with them and another researcher associated with the Committee, on 23 April this year. The official in my Department who liaises with the Committee undertook to examine these material and, following such an examination, a draft preliminary analysis was prepared in my Department and this draft was issued to the Committee in July of this year. The Committee were invited to examine this draft analysis and provide any commentary they wished to make on it. The Committee's response to this draft analysis was provided by way of a presentation made by researchers associated with the Committee; this presentation was made on 30 September 2015. The views and materials presented at that meeting have now been examined in my Department and on 30 November further documentation was issued by my Department to the Committee in this connection.
It is understood that there may be further material that the Committee wishes to be considered by my Department in this connection and further communication from the Committee is currently awaited in that regard.