Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was delighted to meet Ms Peake and others at the WAVE Trauma Centre in Belfast. If there is any way those of us on the committee can be of assistance as Government representatives, they should please let us know. We will only be delighted to help their cause.

We have treaded gently around this issue. This is not to have a go at Sinn Féin but, in a way, I will be having a go at Sinn Féin here. We treaded lightly on the day we met Ms Peake at the WAVE Trauma Centre and we heard the traumatic stories from Mr. McVeigh and others on the day we were there. Having listened to the harrowing testimonies during this meeting, I have found it somewhat sickening to the see the response from Sinn Féin since, which was nil. It is disgusting.

Any party that calls itself republican, if it truly wants to be a republican party known as republicans, should take that meaning to the very core and deal with these people in a republican matter. If it wants to be a party that is in government North or South, then it should start taking responsibility where it can. It should start with its two leaders. All representatives from Sinn Féin should go and talk to their leaders and ask them to come out and address this. It must be addressed. I do not think members of any other party in the State could sit with their consciences and sleep at night knowing and hearing the harrowing testimonies we have had today. I ask all parliamentary party members of Sinn Féin, North and South, to go, for God's sake, and talk to their leaders. Let us have a proper response to these families who are waiting to find their loved ones. It is beyond time.

On the injuries pension, I ask that we call on the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, to perhaps do a question and answer session with us on this. We might begin that process with a letter to him, ask for a response and maybe invite him before the committee as well, to see if we can deal with the issue from a Southern perspective.