Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My thanks to the Minister. It is really good to have him before the committee today. The timing of this is good. Obviously, there has been some movement following the meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference last week. Yesterday, there was an update on the multiparty talks.

The Minister is right about scepticism. We are embarking on a process of engagement. We had engagement before that resulted in the Stormont House Agreement. The principles of the Stormont House Agreement, as well as the framework, really matter. This meeting has followed from the Ballymurphy inquest results and findings. It is important that we reflect on what they communicated to us and what we felt when they spoke to us. It remains clear to me that we need effective investigations but we also need a process of justice. In terms of the engagement we have had, we need access to truth and justice. We have been dealing in a vacuum by not having a framework to deal with legacy. It is good that the engagement is taking place but my question is about who will be doing the listening. We have been consistently clear about what matters and the fact that this issue has to be dealt with and cannot be swept under the carpet.

Does the Minister think there is an appetite for listening on all sides?

I will highlight some of the things that were said by the Ballymurphy families when they spoke to us. They told us they were the lucky ones because they actually had an inquest. They told us people cannot move on without accountability and justice. They spoke about the importance of inquests that comply with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. They said a precedent had been set that families are no longer outside the legal system, looking in, looking for accountability and access to justice. They were given that opportunity. There is much emotion behind this. I am trying to convey that things have moved on in terms of the engagement that is under way but we cannot forget the trauma behind all of this and the injustice that has been felt because of the lies that were told. The British Government is not an impartial observer, it is an actor. That came across at the time of the findings.

The Minister is saying he will go into this process with an open mind. I feel that the Irish Government has always been true to the principles of the Stormont House Agreement and the rule of law, and recognises the importance of reconciliation and human rights compliance. Does the Minister believe that everybody will be listening to each other and not coming in with preconceived ideas of what truth and justice are?