Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
871. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the engagement he has had with the UK Government in relation to the gun that was found by workmen at a house near Moy, County Tyrone on 12 April 2021 that was later handed over to police in a County Armagh police station (details supplied). [20013/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, an issue of this nature is, in the first instance, a police matter and, where there is a complaint, a matter for the Police Ombudsman. As such, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.
With regard to your reference to cases involving the Glenanne Gang, the Government welcomed the announcement by the PSNI on 30 November 2019 that former Chief Constable Jon Boutcher would head an Independent Police Team to conduct an analytical report on the Glenanne Gang series of cases. We are conscious that this work 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 Glenanne Gang. It is to be hoped that the report being conducted by Chief Constable Boutcher will contribute to the long 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, 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.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.We will continue to engage with the British Government, as we have done at every opportunity on both a political and official level, to pursue all possible avenues to achieve progress on these issues and until a satisfactory resolution is found.
