Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the commissioner for her presentation and Mr. Bracknell. It is on days like today that my belief in politics is restored. The first thing I want to say is that this report should be delivered to each and every one of the victims and survivors. Sometimes I think, although this is a live broadcast, we are talking to ourselves. If the report was delivered to the victims and survivors, it would certainly give me some faith that some progress had been made. The old adage that justice delayed is justice denied is so true. I have said at a number of committee meetings that if one were not told who was making the presentation and from which side of the divide someone was from, one would not know because the problems were the same. We are dealing with legacy issues, whether it be the Kingsmill massacre; the Miami Showband; individuals such as Terence McKeever; the Ludlow family; or the disappeared, including Captain Robert Nairac or, as I have mentioned before at meetings of the committee, Eugene Simons and Gerard Evans, of whose disappearance very close to where I live I am intimately aware. Deputy O’Sullivan and others can speak about the Dundalk, Monaghan and Dublin bombings. The reality is, judging from my engagement with the people affected and many others who have come before the committee, they hear the talk but want us to walk the walk. What the delegates have said very eloquently encapsulates an awful lot. I think Ms Thompson said she speaks to the Governments. We are being asked to put whatever pressure we can on the Department of Justice and Equality and other Departments, but I do not think it is a question of exerting pressure. The document will help to clear the air and deal with the lack of faith in the systems, North and South, on I commend Ms Thompson.

I refer, in particular, to the issue raised by Ms Thompson of the legacy of the past in the context of justice and truth and specifically an amnesty, an issue which has been discussed in the past few minutes. My experience which is not necessary the same as that of Ms Thompson is that people just want closure, regardless of whether it means looking for a court case and a conviction. In the main, I have found that all people want is the truth. Ms Thompson referred to mental health and the trauma suffered. In the case of many of the incidents with which I have dealt, whether they involve individuals or larger numbers, it is beyond belief that people are still suffering. We all grieve, but we do not do so when we do not know why somebody suffered. I become slightly emotional when I talk about this issue. Again, having lived on the Border and seen the trauma suffered on both sides, I do not care who the people are; they are entitled to a conclusion.

I suppose I am making statements more than asking questions, but Ms Thompson has issued a report which, as I said, needs to be properly circulated. I was a member of a local authority for 25 years and have been a Member of the Dáil for almost four. We have received promises, but the day for promises from both sides is over. How can we, collectively, get people to realise the legacy issues probably have the most impact in bringing about closure to what has gone on on this island for far too long? The delegates are talking to us; we are talking to the Department and meeting people, yet there does not seem to be any joined-up thinking. We can blame either side, but, ultimately, the administration, be it from a Southern, Northern or British perspective, needs to put its foot on the accelerator to bring about closure, be it for good or bad, for the families of the victims. It cannot just be soundbites. I meet people daily. I have mentioned the Ludlow family others who say all we do here is talk. It is action that we need.