Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mr. McCord, Mr. Farrell and Mr. O'Hare are very welcome. As we approach 1 May and the guillotine that is coming to deprive people of truth and justice, it is really important that this committee is meeting them today. We have recently seen the findings of the Project Kenova report. The committee has done considerable work on the legacy Bill. Mr. McCord's presence today makes sure that that work continues in resistance to an egregious Bill which is designed to stop families from getting the answers they deserve.

Mr. McCord has moved mountains in the past 27 years. It has been done in good faith and done in a way that treats people not based on the communities they are associated with but as victims first and foremost. No one should feel that their grief is only seen through the eyes of one community; grief is universal. That is the essence of Mr. McCord's work. He stands up for all victims whether they are victims of the IRA, the UVF, loyalists, republicans or state forces. I have seen up close the work he has done in recent years and I thank him for it.

Given the progress made on inquests in recent years, how did Mr. McCord feel about other inquests having had their days in court when he has not? While he has touched on it, why does he think that is? This committee has heard from people who have said that the success of the inquests in recent years has led to the introduction of the legacy Bill to stop them. Why does Mr. McCord feel that his case in particular has gone round in circles for 27 years?