Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
170. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in light of yet more new evidence emerging regarding the 1973 killing of a person (details supplied), he will make the family's desire for a public inquiry clear to the British Government; the steps the Irish Government is taking to aid the family in their quest for justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49807/23]
View answerI have raised the case of the person in question and the family's desire for answers on a number of occasions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Officials in my Department met with the family in November 2021 and again in February of this year.
On 24 February, I met with the family, who were accompanied by Councillor Michael Naughton. The strength of the family's desire for an independent investigation of their loved one's death and for the truth to be put on the record after almost fifty years was compelling. Hearing from families directly affected by the Troubles has guided my approach to legacy issues which has always been victim-centred and that will continue to be the case.
Following my meeting with the family, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris on 16 March, bringing the case to his attention. I made clear my view that the UK Government's legacy legislation would deny this family answers and the opportunity to clear their loved one's name. I met with the Secretary of State in Dublin on 16 May to discuss legacy matters in more detail. At that meeting I highlighted to the Secretary of State and his delegation that the following day was the 50th anniversary of the death of the person in question as well as being and the 49th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and that all of these families were still seeking truth and justice. I raised this case again with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland earlier this week, at the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin. I highlighted that this family's efforts to secure a fresh inquest will be thwarted by the UK Legacy Act.
The Secretary of State spoke of the future work of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Retrieval (ICRIR) which will be established under the UK Legacy Act, expressing his perspective that this would be the route for families to obtain answers. However, as the Deputy will be aware, this is not a view shared by the Government. It is the Government's assessment that this new British Act closes off avenues to truth for victims of the Troubles and their families.
The Government sought legal advice from the Attorney General on the possibility of Ireland initiating an interstate case at the European Court of Human Rights to test the compatibility of the British Legacy Act with the Convention. Detailed and comprehensive legal advice has now been received from the Attorney General, an essential contribution to our consideration of next steps.
