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

I compliment John Finucane on presenting the case with such clarity and great composure. It cannot be easy to recount the events around the murder of one's father at the dinner table in one's own home, an event also witnessed by his mother and siblings. It goes without saying the pain and the appalling circumstances that his family were thrown into due to that awful murder and the collusion that brought it about.

As my colleague, Senator Blaney said, the Fianna Fáil Party believes there has to be a full public inquiry. I heartily endorse Senator Ó Donnghaile's motion. As has been said by colleagues, this is an important week as the Secretary of State indicated he would make a decision on this matter before the end of the month. I agree the deliberations and the outcome of this meeting should be conveyed to the Office of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and that the Seanad and an Oireachtas committee are calling for a full public inquiry.

Successive Governments have reaffirmed this position since the agreement was made in Weston Park in 2001. When two sovereign Governments make an agreement, it is expected that it will be honoured. The Irish Government has honoured its part of the agreement. It is way beyond time that the British Government honoured the commitment it made.

John Finucane, along with this mother and other family members, have campaigned with great dignity and courage over the years. It cannot be easy always to maintain such dignity and composure. He exemplified that so well here this morning with his powerful presentation.

I listened to the Taoiseach on Leaders' Questions on Tuesday when he said he met John Finucane and his mother on Monday. The Taoiseach said the full weight of his office would be behind the Finucane family in its quest and campaigning efforts to get a full public inquiry. There has been international interest and support for John Finucane's efforts. The intervention of the committee of ministers at the Council of Europe in September was an important one.

It is sad we have to be discussing such an issue 31 years after the murder of John Finucane's father and so many years after an agreement made between two sovereign governments that has not been honoured. As Senator Craughwell said, there were other horrendous deeds, loss of life and injury inflicted on so many people due to collusion, along with atrocities perpetrated and supported by state forces. The committee has often discussed the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. The Oireachtas has on several occasions unanimously appealed to the British Government to give an independent legal person access to the papers surrounding the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, the atrocities and activities of the Glenanne gang, as well as other atrocities which took place in my constituency in Cavan-Monaghan and throughout Northern Ireland. These are all legacy issues that need to be addressed, no matter how painful it is for whoever or for whatever state organisation. The truth has to be uppermost in everybody's efforts.

Today we are concentrating on this motion. Again, I compliment John Finucane and his family on the great dignity with which they have carried out their campaign. We sincerely hope that the campaign for a full public inquiry will be reached within days. I thank him again for this presentation.