Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I commend the Taoiseach on the way he represented the people of this State and his Office during these visits, go háirithe i rith thórraimh Garret FitzGerald. Rinne an Taoiseach jab an-mhaith agus gabhaim comhghairdeas leis faoi sin. I wish to concentrate my remarks on the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. We are calling on the British Government to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents held by the British Government which were sought by Mr. Justice Barron. What is the purpose? It is to assess these documents with the aim of assisting in the resolution of these crimes. The British Government admits that it has files which it has not handed over. What possible reason can it have for not handing over files, especially now, as the Taoiseach has asserted, there has been a complete transformation of relationships between Ireland and Britain? What possible reason is there?

The Taoiseach has heard me state previously that although much progress has been made and we have all worked towards it, we will not have a complete transformation until the partition of the island has ended. This party represents people, including people in the North, who have suffered grievously and who seek a complete transformation of the relationship as well. There are legacy issues and the Dublin-Monaghan bombings is one of them. The bombing of Kay's Tavern in my constituency of Louth is another. I am pleased that the case of Mr. Pat Finucane is now being discussed with the British Government. These issues will continue to fester because people do not have closure. I have already acknowledged that there is a job for all of the combatant forces to assist in a process of truth recovery now the war, thankfully, is over. I know the Taoiseach does not have responsibility for the British Government, and I know there are difficulties getting the British Government to do things to face up to these matters, but recently Mr. William Hague MP allowed for an inquiry into British Government actions during the Mau Mau campaign, allowing for files relating to it to be opened. The files on these matters are there, the families have asked for them and the Oireachtas has voted for them. What did David Cameron say? Did he say "No"? If he indicated a negative response, did the Taoiseach say that we accepted that or did not accept it?

The issue of funding for Justice for the Forgotten is an issue that falls under the Taoiseach's authority. It is incomprehensible that the group is not funded. The money in question would be a pittance in comparison to the money that has been given to the banks.

The case of Ms Rosemary Nelson is very important. She was an officer of the court and a human rights lawyer, a person who tried to use the law - I knew her - to bring justice to victims and the people of the Garvaghy Road. That report was spun by the British Secretary of State, Mr. Owen Patterson, in a way that does not reflect any sense of a new relationship between the people of these islands and to which the family of Ms Rosemary Nelson objected.

Will the Taoiseach respond to these issues? Until the legacy issues are resolved, they will continue to undermine the work we have all done to bring about the complete transformation he mentioned.

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