Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I join Deputy Kenny and the Taoiseach in offering my condolences to the family in my constituency that was destroyed by a terrible tragedy that visited it yesterday. I wish to associate myself with the remarks which were made by the Taoiseach and Deputy Kenny. What happened to the family in question, which was known in the area as a lovely family, is almost beyond belief.

It seems to me that three separate issues need to be considered as we reflect on the unimaginable grief of those who were bereaved by the Stardust fire. The families in question believe that some legitimate questions have not been answered. Has the Government provided for a suitable vehicle to facilitate the grieving families in getting answers to the legitimate questions which continue to affect them? The second issue relates to the unidentified bodies of five people who are buried in a communal grave. The third thing is whether something like this appalling tragedy could happen again. For the first issue, Deputy Kenny suggested something along the lines of Judge Cory's investigation that may have merit. An alternative is to look at what happened in the Dean Lyons case, which I pursued in this House for many years, including with the present Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. He appointed a senior counsel to review the papers to give advice on what would be the appropriate inquiry or investigation to put in place. In this case, such a senior counsel, appointed by the Minister, would have access to all of the Garda reports and all the tribunal papers. He would be able to advise the Minister whether and what kind of investigation would be appropriate. I agree with Deputy Kenny and I raise this in a politically non-partisan fashion. On the face of it, I agree with what he said about another tribunal of inquiry. It should be noted that the Government demanded that the Widgery tribunal be re-opened after 25 years. That may not be a particular good example, but that is our position. The Government has also taken up a position on the cold case review in Northern Ireland.

It is not our job on this side of the House to raise hopes that cannot be met. This is a working class community whose members feel that if it was located in some other part of Dublin, they would not be left floundering for answers. They feel there are legitimate questions that have not been answered and that it should not be beyond the competence of this House to put in place a methodology of investigation that at least seeks to answer some of the outstanding legitimate questions. The Keane tribunal found that the forensic investigation of the site was inadequate. A number of other matters have been raised and we do not know what will come from tonight's programme. The Taoiseach should commit to something either along the lines of Judge Cory or to something like the appointment of Mr. Shane Murphy SC by the Minister to review the papers, assess the evidence and to make recommendations to the Minister about what method of investigation, if any, would be appropriate.

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