Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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We took statements in the Dáil on the North for most of yesterday afternoon. While there was limited agreement on the causes of the conflict, I would like to think there is agreement that we must ensure we will never be revisited by conflict.

There is very little agreement with some parties on the definition of victims, which is part of the difficulty. How important is the fact that we find it difficult to deal with the past? Some say it is time to move on and forget about it, that there is no point in going over old hurts and wrongs. Will dealing with the past be one of the recommendations Ms Stone considers? In the past couple of weeks there was a reconciliation event in the Skainos centre in east Belfast, which this committee has visited on a number of occasions. The Skainos centre is the tent; it is supposed to be safe, a shared space to which people can come. For example, Mr. Pat Magee, who served time for the Brighton bombing, and Ms Jo Berry, whose father was killed in that bombing, met in it. They talked about the story of their relationship, how they had got to meet each other and how this had or had not helped with their difficulties in dealing with the past. People and members of the PSNI were attacked outside. How important is it for victims to deal with the issue of reconciliation? How important is it to have this shared space in which people can come together? Different groups have come together, including ex-combatants or people who have been hurt by the Troubles. Is there any way the victims' commissioner can facilitate the likes of this happening? Ms Stone has said there is no agreement on the definition of "victim" among victims or political parties. There is no victims' commission in this jurisdiction. There is very little funding for it. Is that a weakness in the system and is there a need for some such structure?

Justice for the Forgotten was mentioned. Representatives of that organisation came here and said funding was one difficulty. There is an anomaly in that it could obtain funding in the North but not in Dublin. Does Ms Stone have recommendations for the two Governments in that regard? Will she examine this issue as part of her submission? Justice for the Forgotten is going to the Historical Enquiries Team, HET, which is questionable. It is also going to the Police Ombudsman's office to talk about pursuing investigations that the RUC was supposed to have performed in the past and its actions or inaction. There is no similar mechanism whereby people can go to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. Can Ms Stone make recommendations to the two Governments on dealing with such issues?