Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

Will the Taoiseach agree that since he set the ball rolling in 1998 and appointed the then Tánaiste, former Deputy John Wilson, to look into the matter followed by Mr. Justice Hamilton and then Mr. Justice Barron, the real problem is that almost a decade will have passed and we are still far from finality on this matter? None of the survivors, the bereaved or members of Justice for the Forgotten are getting any younger and there is a palpable sense that we are moving very slowly on this matter. The one area in which progress has been made is the Commission of Investigation under Mr. Patrick MacEntee SC, which I am delighted is coming to finality because that is the only investigation we have established under this commission. We look forward to that report being published. It is a year since the Taoiseach got the Seamus Ludlow report, which we were informed on a number of occasions would be published shortly. It appears the difficulties the Taoiseach outlined to Deputy Rabbitte could be dealt with in the short term as easily as in the long term in respect of names that might have to be crossed out and the degree of editing that would have to be done because that took place in the previous reports also. The key problem we face now——

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