Peadar Tóibín
Question:394. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will he meet with victims and survivors of the Glenanne gang. [25602/20]
View answerTuesday, 6 October 2020
Questions (394, 400)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:400. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will meet with the victims and survivors of the Glenanne gang. [28468/20]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 394 and 400 together.
The victims of the so-called Glenanne gang, as with all victims and survivors, must have access to an effective investigation and to a process of justice in accordance with the law. There is also a clear need for the Stormont House Agreement to be implemented as a comprehensive framework for dealing with the legacy of the past, as well as a need for progress on the all-party motions of the Dáil on the Dublin Monaghan bombings and related cases.
The implementation of the Stormont House Agreement forms part of the Programme for Government. The Government also continues to actively pursue the implementation of the all-Party Dáil motions which call on the British Government to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, as well as the Dublin bombings of 1972 and 1973, the bombing of Kay’s Tavern in Dundalk and the murder of Seamus Ludlow.
The Government welcomed the announcement by the PSNI on 30 November 2019 that former Chief Constable Jon Boutcher will head an Independent Police Team to conduct an analytical report on collusion in what has become known as the Glenanne Gang series of cases. We are conscious that this work by Chief Constable Boutcher is very relevant to a number of cases of the utmost concern for victims’ families and survivors, both North and South, who suffered in the murderous attacks by the so-called ‘Glenanne Gang’. It is to be hoped that the report being conducted by Chief Constable Boutcher will contribute to the process of justice, truth and acknowledgement of what happened in these awful cases, where collusion is a feature.
The Government will be supportive of facilitating this investigation, subject to the requirements of the law, as we have other investigative processes in Northern Ireland, in relation to the attacks conducted by the Glenanne Gang and of course other cases from the Troubles.
In any scenario, we will continue to engage with the British Government, to pursue all possible avenues to achieve progress on these issues, consistent with the all-party Dáil motions, until a satisfactory resolution is found.
In relation to the request for a meeting to discuss these cases, I have asked my officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs who lead on legacy issues to meet with representatives of the victims and survivors as soon as possible, and as current circumstances and restrictions allow, for a full discussion of their concerns.