Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The owners of the premises were left for a number of days in control of the premises before the forensic investigation took place. I put it to the Taoiseach that we have a tried mechanism that may well be appropriate in this situation, the facility to send in a senior counsel with the assistance of an expert assessor to review the tribunal papers, to review the Garda reports, to study the submission from the relatives, to take whatever evidence he would consider appropriate and to establish whether there is a basis for a fuller public investigation. This was an unimaginable horror inflicted on a working class community. They believe, as I do, that if they had some of the great and the good in their midst and if they were assisted by some of the professional classes they would not have been ignored for 25 years in the manner in which they have been ignored. It is coming to the stage where the Government must make up its mind. I do not understand the procrastination. A very long time has transpired since disturbing evidence was proffered that the tribunal may have misdirected itself.

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