Mr. Paul Maskey:

It is great to see Mr. Teggart, Ms Quinn and Mr. Ó Muirigh at the meeting. They are very welcome. I am sure they are exhausted because they have campaigned for many years to get justice for their loved ones. They have not stopped since the announcement by Mrs. Justice Keegan a number of weeks ago that their loved ones were innocent. They need to be commended on all their hard work and determination over the years. They and other family members who are not here today have carried out their campaign with dignity and respect. We are all appreciative of that work over the years. Their composure has been overwhelming in the face of the casual manner of the violence perpetrated by the British powers who murdered the loved ones of our guests on their own streets. They should be proud. As a representative of west Belfast, I assure our guests they instil pride the length and breadth of the constituency and beyond. On the day Mrs. Justice Keegan made her announcement, everybody in west Belfast was saying our guests had done it, they had done what they said they would do. They have instilled pride in many people across this constituency and beyond, as I have said.

The hurt and pain of the massacre could easily have broken our guests' spirits. The response of successive British Governments that claimed the victims of the massacre were armed and threatening could have left our guests in despair. In actual fact, the opposite happened. Our guests suffered loss. They showed their love for their relatives and their desire to clear the good names of their loves one that were sullied by British liars. They showed their dedication to the truth and pursuit of justice throughout the campaign. They achieved the truth, which they rightly deserved. I believe that for over 50 years the humanity in our guests' hearts lit up the darkness of the loss they grieved. I welcome that.

I wish to make one suggestion to the committee. I suggest that we visit Ballymurphy as soon as possible when restrictions are further reduced to hear in person from the family members. That is important. When we are in Ballymurphy, we should also meet with the families of the victims of the Springhill massacre to hear their stories. Springhill and Ballymurphy adjoin each other and, less than a year after the Ballymurphy massacre, five civilians were killed by the British army. The Springhill massacre is often known as the forgotten massacre. It would be good and useful for the committee to agree to meet the families in Ballymurphy and then meet with the Springhill massacre families.

My question to the families will touch on something that has been mentioned on many occasions over the years but I think it would be useful for members of the committee to hear this. It is a difficult time for our guests and all the other families that were affected. Will our guests tell us what it was like to cope with the loss of their loved ones in such a violent way and then to listen to the British Government and the powers concerned claim that our guests' loved ones were not innocent?