Dáil debates

Friday, 17 June 2005

Morris Tribunal: Statements.

 

12:00 pm

Photo of Niall BlaneyNiall Blaney (Donegal North East, IND-FF)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Morris tribunal and associated matters. Before doing so, I wish to address the statements that have been made publicly on national and local media in Donegal. It has been stated that no help was received from Donegal politicians apart from a few in regard to victims of the Morris tribunal. Two of the politicians mentioned were my predecessor, the former Deputy, Mr. Harry Blaney, and the other was the former Deputy, Mr. Tom Gildea. I want to paint the true picture in regard to their involvement from 1998 onwards. Mr. Harry Blaney, the then Deputy for Donegal North-East, met Frank McBrearty Sn. who was in a traumatised state to say the least in 1998. Frank McBrearty handed over a large file containing documents obtained by himself and his private detective. On receipt of this file, Mr. Harry Blaney handed over the documentation to then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, who in turn relayed back to my father and Mr. Tom Gildea. This was the first he had heard of the case.

What else would any politician do other than hand the file over to the Minister in charge to have it investigated? They subsequently voted against a motion tabled by the Opposition which would have sought an inquiry into the wrongdoings in Donegal. Some people found this strange. The facts of the matter were that if an inquiry had been set up at that time, the legal system would not have allowed for criminal prosecutions to have taken place.

An inquiry into the corruption in Donegal with no prosecutions at the end of the day is useless to all concerned considering some of the underhand work by some members of the Garda. If I were to come across a case of this magnitude today, I would not handle it any differently. I met Mr. Frank McBrearty Jr. approximately 18 months ago when I agreed to vote with a Private Members' motion and I honoured that agreement. Too much politics has been made out of this case. The Opposition parties that would now claim so much credit for recent findings knew about the case when they were in power in 1997 and did nothing about it.

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