Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

For several decades, there is a record of a culture of impunity for gardaí who have done wrong. In the 1970s there was the heavy gang. Osgur Breatnach, Nicky Kelly and three others were taken into Portlaoise Prison. I, along with 140 others, witnessed these men being helped up the stairs. Does the Minister know why? Because the heavy gang had done so much damage to their privates, they were unable to lift their legs up the stairs.

The Minister knows the heavy gang, such as Thomas Dunne, Godkin, Egan, Courtney, McKenna, because he represented them in a civil case against Osgur Breatnach. These people did enormous damage, and set in stone the culture of impunity that rogue gardaí have enjoyed right up to the situation in Donegal. The Minister of Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, knows of the Kerry babies case where an enormous injustice was done. Everyone associated with the heavy gang and those associated with the terrible injustice against the Hayes family were all promoted. This has set in stone what happened in Donegal.

The lack of action by successive Governments has allowed certain gardaí to get away with what they have done. We must compliment all those who exposed what happened in Donegal. However, it is not an isolated incident. I challenge the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to investigate all injustices perpetrated against people. He must not turn his back on Sinn Féin Deputies because we raise these matters. Senator Jim Higgins previously raised the case to which I referred. No one is sacrosanct in this. The Minister has a responsibility. If he does not want to do it, he should step aside and let someone who will and give justice across the board.

The Minister should look up to the Visitors Gallery at Eddie Fullerton's family. That man was murdered and nothing was done to give his family justice. Instead the Minister has turned his back on them. It is time the Minister faced up to his responsibility and gives justice to those who deserve it.

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