Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I propose to share time with Deputy Brendan Smith. In the limited time available to us, we are happy to have the opportunity to address this important motion and to indicate the Fianna Fáil position on it. We welcome those in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I commend the Sinn Féin Deputies on tabling this motion. It is a welcome development that we have unanimity on the form of this motion. It is appropriate we discuss the Dublin and Monaghan bombings today, given the circumstances that prevail, and that we remember those who lost their lives in that appalling tragedy.

Some 37 years ago today, after a series of no-warning car bombs exploded on the streets of Dublin and Monaghan, 34 people, including an unborn baby, lost their lives and more than 300 people were injured. Many of them bear the scars today. It was a day of absolute carnage and horror. It was the greatest loss of life in a single day in the whole period of the modern Troubles on this island, which saw many events that brought shame and disgrace on us all.

What occurred in Dublin and Monaghan was no tragic accident. It was a premeditated and callous act of mass murder. It was a heinous act of terrorism that no one old enough to remember that black day will ever forget. That nightmare is still printed on the minds of many innocent Irish citizens. The victims - those who lost their lives and those who sustained injuries - as well as their families, have suffered greatly because of an evil and senseless act of terrorism.

As a State, a people and a community, we have a responsibility to show solidarity with these innocent victims and do our utmost to bring about closure for them after many years. No one has been prosecuted for the atrocities committed in Dublin and Monaghan. Some 37 years on, we do not have the truth. We are in a new era that has seen a transformation of relations on this island and with the neighbouring island. Today's visit of Queen Elizabeth II underlines that fact and I welcome her arrival here. It is of enormous significance and is a visit entitled to our total and absolute support. This new era is one of reconciliation, good will and trust. It is in this spirit that we believe the British Government should now act and ensure disclosure of its files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

The Irish Government commissioned an investigation into the bombings, led by the Mr. Justice Liam Hamilton of the Supreme Court and, subsequently, by Mr. Justice Henry Barron. Both men are now deceased. The report criticised the British Government's "surprising" refusal to allow access to its files. I say without hesitation that it is totally wrong and shameful that the British Government continues to sit on and not share any information it may have on these atrocities. It is not acceptable. The issue must be addressed. It is our sovereign duty to raise this on behalf of the innocent citizens who were caught in this atrocity, and we must continue to insist that it be addressed.

The Ulster Volunteer Force claimed responsibility for the attacks in the early 1990s but the murky hand of British intelligence has long been suspected of involvement. Mr. Justice Barron's report was presented to an Oireachtas joint committee on justice, which formed a sub-committee to deal with the matter. I was very pleased to be a member of that sub-committee. Among the findings of the sub-committee were that we were dealing with acts of international terrorism where there was collusion by the British security forces. This is undoubtedly a black mark against the British state, and one with which it has an obligation to deal.

Fianna Fáil commends the courageous campaign for truth waged relentlessly for many years by the Justice for the Forgotten group. Fianna Fáil is happy to have contributed to the cost of publication of an open letter published yesterday in The Irish Times calling on Queen Elizabeth II to use her influence in this matter. Justice for the Forgotten has appealed to the British Prime Minister, through Queen Elizabeth II, to mark the occasion of this welcome and historic visit with a genuinely significant gesture of reconciliation by opening the files withheld from Mr. Justice Henry Barron. In Fianna Fáil we believe this should be done promptly without precondition or delay.

We agree with Justice for the Forgotten that should the royal visit include confirmation that British files relating to these atrocities are to be made available, it would in itself represent a further significant boost to the peace process. It would underpin and build on the goodwill and strengthening of reconciliation that has sprung from the courageous and welcome manner in which the British Prime Minister Mr. Cameron addressed the issue of Bloody Sunday on coming into government. We should all remember that the Good Friday Agreement obliges all of us "never to forget those who have died or who have been injured in the Troubles." The victims deserve closure and most of all they deserve to know the truth.

The British Government does not have the moral right to be impervious to this call for justice and this evening's motion has its genesis in an all-party motion put before the Houses by a predecessor of mine as Fianna Fáil Whip, then Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Mr. Pat Carey. The motion was passed unanimously by the Dáil on 10 July 2008 and it is no harm to commit it to the record again this evening. The motion urged "The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland should allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents held by the British Government relating to the atrocities that occurred in this jurisdiction and which were inquired into by Mr. Justice Barron, for the purposes of assessing said documents with the aim of assisting in the resolution of these crimes;". It continued and directed "the Clerk of the Dáil to communicate the text of this Resolution, together with copies of the aforementioned reports, to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with a request that the matter be considered by the House of Commons".

The British Government has continued to ignore this reasonable request for access to information held by it and that is not good enough. It is intolerable and disrespectful to this sovereign Parliament and it is something this House will not give up on. Members on all sides of the House are unanimous in the matter. In supporting today's motion, we strongly urge the British Government once again to open the files that were withheld from Mr. Justice Henry Barron's inquiries into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and all other cross-Border bombings perpetrated in this jurisdiction.

Fianna Fáil will continue to work constructively to assist the victims and families of those who lost their lives in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974 and we will do our utmost to help bring closure to those affected by this terrible atrocity. Our leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, raised this matter in the Dáil on a number of occasions directly with the Taoiseach and by parliamentary question; more recently he wrote to the British Ambassador, Mr. Julian King, urging him to address the matter with his government on our behalf.

The loss of life from these bombings was the highest from any event during the Troubles but nobody has ever been prosecuted. The Dáil unanimously passed a motion calling on the British Government to make its files on the bombings available, as Deputy Martin indicated in his letter to the ambassador. Deputy Martin continued "Confirmation of a decision to open the files in conjunction with the Queen's visit would be a significant gesture of reconciliation, would build on the very positive and productive work that has already been done in this area to date, and would only serve to strengthen the ties between our two countries." Deputy Martin concluded the letter by indicating that he looks forward to discussing the matter with the ambassador, and I am sure that will happen in due course.

We cannot turn back the clock but we can show solidarity with the victims by helping them in their pursuit of truth. The peace process has taught us that we will not build peace by sweeping the truth under the carpet as this only creates mistrust, suspicion and anger. We must face the reality of what happened on this island during the Troubles; if we deny the past or cover it up, we will never be able to learn from it and move on. The peace process underlines the importance of openness, co-operation, mutual respect and trust. These are virtues that will foster and strengthen peace and reconciliation. The Queen's visit over the next few days is part of the process and it is in this spirit that we point out that it is high time the British Government made the files available.

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