Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join the other members of the committee in welcoming our guests and thanking them for their presentations. I have been very familiar over the years with the work of Ms Urwin and Justice for the Forgotten, as well as with Ms Cadwallader's work in more recent years. Ms Cadwallader's book, Lethal Allies: British Collusion in Ireland, brought together a huge amount of information on the horrors inflicted as a result of collusion involving British state security forces and the number of people murdered by the relevant gangs. Immediately after its publication, I secured a Dáil debate on the issue to which the then Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, responded by saying that he would bring all of the issues to the attention of the British Government. The book is a very good reference on the horrors inflicted on so many innocent people, aided and abetted by British state security forces.

I have been familiar with the work of Justice for the Forgotten since its formation in the mid-1990s. I am very glad that, along with some of the visitors here, Senator Mark Daly, Deputies Maureen O'Sullivan and Crowe and I have the opportunity to meet practically every month to try to make progress on the search for justice and information. On the previous occasion on which there were Oral Questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I asked him about the fact that the British Government has failed to respond to the three motions passed unanimously by Dáil Éireann and calling on it to provide access to an independent international lawyer to the files and papers pertaining to those murders and bombings. As I said on the day in question, it is reprehensible, deplorable and totally unacceptable that the British Government has ignored the unanimous requests of a sovereign Parliament.

We have all had discussions with successive British ambassadors and Secretaries of State but the question has been evaded by means of a non-answer to all of us. Deputy Breathnach was in Cardiff when I had a very vigorous exchange with the current Secretary of State on the obfuscation and non-answers he continues with also. Deputy Breathnach and I will be at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting on Sunday and Monday and, if we have the opportunity, we will be raising it again. It might be no harm for the committee to write a letter to Mr. Brokenshire stating that this matter was considered again today and that it is our unanimous request that the British Government respond to the requests of our national Parliament. We must keep it on the agenda.

Ms Urwin will be aware that Deputies Maureen O'Sullivan, Seán Crowe and I met the former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charlie Flanagan on this issue some time before the membership of the Government changed. We have requested that the current Minister, Deputy Coveney, meet us again on behalf of the cross-party group. It is scandalous that we have made no progress on this issue. All the Dáil requested was a very responsible, comprehensive motion asking for access to the papers and files for an independent international person. It is deplorable that there has been no response. We must keep it on the agenda. As every day goes by, everybody gets older and families see the possibility of obtaining justice decrease.

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has refused to include the Belturbet bombing of December 1972. Is there any point in the committee asking for those particular bombings, murders and tragedies to be included at this stage? Ms Urwin might consider that matter and come back to the committee on it. If that is the appropriate route to go, I am sure the committee could, by agreement, ask for its inclusion. The committee will be glad to support any request Justice for the Forgotten makes of us because its work is extremely important. I commend the three organisations represented on the ongoing advocacy and representative work they do on behalf of victims and families and, unfortunately, in memory of so many innocent people whose lives were needlessly taken.