Mr. Francie Molloy:

Mr. Ó Muirigh is very welcome to the meeting today and it is very important to hear exactly the case on behalf of relatives and the fact the court cases which happened had been taken by number of solicitors in this particular way.

It is very important to recognise the role of the inquests and the effect they had on families because it gave them some information where, before that, there had been none. The Stormont House Agreement was one way in which all of this could have been dealt with but the British Government ignored it or set that agreement aside despite that it had been agreed within all parties and the two Governments.

In the presentation, we heard of the role of Jon Boutcher in the Operation Kenova investigation and the meeting with the families. Families were very satisfied with the role he had played within that investigation and the role and causes of families he was promoting. How does Mr. Ó Muirigh believe families will react now where Mr. Boutcher is Chief Constable and seems to be blocking the cases going through the courts, where the police are withdrawing or not giving evidence to those cases and are blocking information coming out for that?

My other question is to ask about the role of the Irish Government in an interstate case. How strong is that and what are the timelines the Irish Government would need to meet to do that? I understand there is an urgency to get such a case brought forward quickly. Such a case would give confidence to the families in that the Irish Government, is acting, as Mr.Ó Muirigh has said, as per its role within the Good Friday Agreement, also as a guarantor, but also in directly supporting families in the North who are trying to get justice in this issue.

I know that in discussions with the Labour Party in England, I would not be confident the Labour Party under Keir Starmer would actually block or change this legislation. They may tinker with it but I would not have any confidence in that situation.

My two questions, therefore, are on the role of Jon Boutcher as Chief Constable but also on the Irish Government's situation in this issue.