Mr. Alan Bracknell:

Deputy O’Sullivan knows my feelings on whether there should be a HIU or some sort of HIU-type process south of the Border. I attend the same meetings to which she has referred. Whenever we in the victims’ forum have had discussions on dealing with the past, the point we have all made is that everyone should be treated equally. It does not matter where the harm happened or who inflicted it. Equal treatment is what is most important. As the proposals stand, people who were bereaved or injured south of the Border and people who were bereaved or injured in Britain do not avail of a similar package in respect of investigations. That is the information that has to be addressed which we in the Victims and Survivors Forum passed on up to Ms Thompson. It is good to see it in her proposals here. The point is that if this is not done, it creates a hierarchy of victims. Our ask today is that this committee exercise whatever influence it can on the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of the Taoiseach and tell them they have to put in place something south of the Border that is on a parallel with the HIU in the North. We recently met the Garda Commissioner and his point basically was that this is Government policy. The only people who can change that are in the Government. Therefore, whatever can be done from within this committee and whatever other committees there are is important.