Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 December 2022
128. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if in communications with the with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland he has raised the need for the British government and Northern Ireland authorities to fully co-operate in all investigations into atrocities such as the Belturbet bombing of December 1972 and the Dublin Monaghan bombings of May 1974; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62824/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has consistently raised the issues in the All Party Motion on the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings at political and official level with the British government, including at the recent British Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 7 October in London. We have repeatedly called on the British government to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents relating to the bombings.
We have made clear to our counterparts that the absence of a response from the British Government is of deep concern to the Government, and that there remains an urgent need for a response. The Government will continue to engage with the British Government on this request, to pursue all possible avenues to achieve progress on this issue until a resolution is found.
The Government is also committed to supporting the work of Kenova, which is a series of ongoing independent UK police investigations or reviews into Northern Ireland legacy cases. Operation Denton is an ongoing independent analytical review by Kenova into the activities of what was known as the Glenanne Gang in Northern Ireland and includes the Dublin Monaghan Bombings.
As Operation Denton is an analytical review being carried out in another jurisdiction rather than a formal criminal investigation, in order to achieve the strong desire of An Garda Síochána and the Government to co-operate with Operation Denton to the maximum extent possible, it was necessary to create a dedicated cooperation mechanism. In June the Minister for Justice signed a directive under section 25(1) of the Garda Síochána Act and in July the Minister signed a regulation under the Data Protection Acts to facilitate the transfer of information to Operation Denton. On foot of this information has been provided to the Kenova Team.
The commitment of An Garda Síochána to legacy cases was demonstrated recently where, following a review of the Belturbet Bombing (1972) investigation, An Garda Síochána has identified a number of lines of inquiry. A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation and an incident room has been established at Ballyconnell Garda Station. An Garda Síochána issued an appeal on 18 October for anyone with information in relation to the Bombing to make contact.
The Government will maintain a close and cooperative relationship with Justice for the Forgotten, as we continue work to seek the full facts of the appalling events of 25 May 1974 and of other attacks in this jurisdiction during the Troubles.
