Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

In 1991, Donegal Sinn Féin County Councillor, Eddie Fullerton, was assassinated by a British pseudo-gang, a loyalist death squad, at his home in Buncrana. His killing was later claimed by the UDA, using their other name, the UFF. No one has ever been convicted or charged with his killing. There is evidence of British armed forces collusion in his death. Eddie's photograph was among crown forces photomontages seized from loyalists by the Stephens Inquiry team six months after Eddie's killing, which probably came from their masters, the force research unit. Many believe that Eddie, who was shot just one month before local elections that year, was targeted as part of a wider campaign against Sinn Féin members, eight of whom were assassinated between 1989 and 1992.

There are also serious questions about irregularities in the Garda investigation. A number of the Donegal gardaí who are the subject of the Morris tribunal were involved in the Fullerton investigation, including disgraced Garda Noel McMahon. Despite this, the Fullerton family's requests to have the conduct of the gardaí in the case investigated by the Morris tribunal were refused. A reinvestigation into the case finally commenced 14 years later, not as a result of diligence on the part of the gardaí or the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, but because of the efforts of the Fullerton family who presented a dossier to the Minister demanding his assistance in the search for the truth. The Minister subsequently directed not a full public inquiry, but an internal re-examination of the case by the Garda Commissioner. This has resulted in an interim report to the Minister, which has never been published.

Yesterday, the Minister answered a series of questions I and my party colleagues put to him in the case. I welcome the Minister's reply, particularly in that it makes very clear that the British Government and the PSNI are holding up the process of finding out the truth about collusion in this case, and that it also leaves open the possibility of a public inquiry. However, I still need clarification on a number of issues.

In his answer yesterday, the Minister said the family's dossier amounted to no more than what was raised directly with the Garda Síochána 14 months previously. Will the Minister clarify why the matter was delayed until June 2003 rather than being addressed in April 2002 when this information came to light. In his answer yesterday, the Minister said that he will not publish the interim report he has received on the case because it is incomplete due to the outstanding information needed from the British authorities and the PSNI. However, he avoids committing to publishing the final report. We need this commitment now. The Fullerton family, the people of Buncrana and the Irish people as a whole deserve to know the truth about the assassination of this elected representative. Question marks also remain over the serious deficiencies in the original Garda investigation, including its failure to interview key suspects and a witness. The public deserves to know the truth about this.

Disturbingly, despite a direct question on the matter, it is unclear from the Minister's reply whether he has raised this case with the British Government. If he has not done so, I want a clear commitment as to when he will do so, as the assassination of an Irish public representative as a result of British intelligence collusion with a loyalist death squad is a matter of the utmost seriousness and of public importance. If he has done so, I would appreciate clarification as to exactly when the British Government was made aware of the outstanding matters necessary to complete the investigation. I need to know at what level the matter was raised. Was it with the British Prime Minister or at ministerial level? When were the police-to-police inquiries made and has the PSNI or British authorities given a timeframe as to when the outstanding information and co-operation will be provided?

I submit to the Minister Sinn Féin's position that, just as in the Pat Finucane case and all other cases where there is evidence that British crown forces colluded with loyalist death squads to target Irish citizens, there is an urgent need for a full public inquiry into the assassination of Eddie Fullerton.

See this speech in context