Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Sargent again asked me about the date. As I said, I do not have a date nor am I as concerned about one as making sufficient progress on the issues which are important. Obviously, I hope it will not be a long period. I have already acknowledged the role of Sean Kelly, of which we are aware. I hope the case will pass through the appeals commission very quickly and that the issue will be dealt with there. I will check the position of Christy McGrath. The issue has been pursued by the secretariat.

All the Deputies asked about the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Yesterday I outlined the position as we all see it simply and succinctly. I stated that we felt we had not got information we had specifically sought and that there was an overwhelming view that there had been collusion at some levels, of which we can never be certain because of the time span. It is, however, the belief that that is the case.

In particular, I have raised the issue of what we understood to be a commitment given at Weston Park a number of years ago for a Cory-like inquiry. I reiterated that the Oireachtas committee had unanimously called for such an inquiry. I indicated that in the absence of progress, we would have to examine the possibility of pursing the case before the European Court of Human Rights, as recommended by the Oireachtas committee. I stated that I had persistently made this point to the Oireachtas committee and it was not something on which I would go back.

The Prime Minister asked me some questions on the history which I answered very clearly. The British contend that they can find no evidence of collusion in the bombings but have said they feel some of the questions asked by the Oireachtas committee and the Government have not been precise in respect of particular periods and that we should raise this with them. I have no problem doing so but I am not prepared to stop on that basis because I agree with Deputy Costello in that I saw the reply to the Oireachtas committee and one would be no wiser after reading it than before. As I indicated previously, I intend, on a preliminary basis, to raise the issue of looking at the European option with the Attorney General.

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