Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for his accommodation and apologise if there was any confusion about time. Senator Currie said that so much good faith depends on this. That is a point which really hits home with me. It does depend on this. We have had so many difficult debates in the context of the politics of Northern Ireland in recent years.

There was the lead-up to the New Decade, New Approach agreement, Brexit and the protocol and a series of other political issues, be they in respect of language, culture or legislation. It has been a difficult and disruptive period and now, arguably, we are moving into an even more sensitive space. It is almost as if the challenges are never-ending for the political leadership in Northern Ireland and for the two Governments to work on with it. I just appeal to people to try to approach this, yes, with very firm views, as have been expressed today, but also to try to use language that is not as confrontational, perhaps, as it otherwise might be, in an effort to try to find a way forward. The approach the Irish Government is taking, which I hope I have outlined reasonably clearly, will be firm, but we will also try to approach this with a real effort to try to achieve consensus as much as possible.

On Mr. Finucane's comments, we have raised his family's case and will continue to raise it. He does not need me to remind him that the work in this regard is very much unfinished. I used the term "investigation" earlier. Of course, what we are seeking is a full public inquiry. I say that in case anything was read into my comments. Mr. Finucane said that it is important that victims know where the Irish Government stands. I have been consistent on that and I will continue to be.

With regard to Deputy Brendan Smith's comments and the timeframe for the talks, clearly, there is a great deal of pressure in the British system to legislate in this space from a time perspective. That is no harm, because there must be urgency anyway for families if we can find a way forward. What we are not going to do is what sometimes happens in Northern Ireland, where there are months that turn into years of negotiation and discussion, with stand-offs, party-political positioning and so forth. We must do this differently if we can and find a way forward in the next few months in order that we can facilitate legislation in the autumn. That is the aim. He referred to families who may not feel that they are plugged into or represented by official representative groups. If there is a database of families who are not getting updates, we would be interested to get that. We will make sure to reach out to them. That goes for anybody on this call, incidentally. If participants feel that people are isolated and have not been part of broader representative groups, political parties or whatever, we will try to address that deficit if it exists.

On Dr. Farry's comments, how can one be against a process that takes account of human rights, the rule of law, justice and reconciliation? I hope that is what we are all about here. However, I can understand why it is not as straightforward as that, but they are four very important pillars. Perhaps a fifth to add to that is legal obligations. We have constitutional obligations and we have to be compliant with Article 2. That comes under the rule of law. Ultimately, we can take a legalistic approach here or we can try to do what is right for families and reconciliation. Hopefully, we can do both in our efforts to find a way forward.

I will make a final point. The scepticism about this process is very evident. Parties have been quite honest with us about that. However, let us not discount the possibility of surprising ourselves and perhaps providing some positive momentum and good news for families, against the odds. If we do, it will be against the odds, given the expectations going into these talks. Certainly, the Irish Government is going to take this seriously and try to make something positive come out of this process. I encourage others to try to be the same. Let us try to avoid the usual arguments and stand-offs. Of course, we rely on others to do the same. We will see where it goes. If it comes to nothing, the fall-back position is quite straightforward. It is the Stormont House Agreement. However, I would be doubtful about whether that gets delivered, given the view that is quite strongly held now that there is a need for some change to that approach. That is why I believe these discussions are important and will, from my perspective, remain very much focused on prioritising the welfare of families and the road to reconciliation, which is a difficult and painful one. That is the only motivation for me. There are no other considerations, be that in the Oireachtas, Westminster or anywhere else.

I thank members for the opportunity to talk with them. I always learn something when we have these sessions. We can refer back to the committee if there are any further questions which we can respond to in writing. The committee can feel free to reach out and we will respond as quickly as we can.