Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

No, that item is not agreed to by us. We are unhappy with the proposal and we are opposed to taking it in the format of statements. There was no consultation whatsoever with the Whips. No meeting took place and no agreement was reached on this format. The Taoiseach stated in the Dáil in April 2007 that a debate on these matters would be taken after consultation with the Opposition parties and only then would the debate take place. No consultation has taken place.

Most, if not all Members, will have received a letter from Justice for the Forgotten referring to the important upcoming Dáil debate on collusion. It was outlined in the letter that the debate which had been promised for over a year was finally due to take place and that the motion, which had yet to be decided, would be moved by the Taoiseach in the Dáil at 5 p.m. today. The Oireachtas joint committee proposed in its final report that it would get direction from the Dáil and Seanad in regard to its recommendations. Rather than statements, Justice for the Forgotten was promised that a motion would be moved, a debate would take place and a direction would be given. None of that has happened.

In effect, we are to have a discussion in a vacuum. It appears that there is time to fill, given that no legislation is forthcoming from the Government, and there is no intention that this debate will proceed in any useful or positive fashion. For that reason, we are unhappy with the proposal. I have compiled a motion which would give direction to the recommendations from all of the committee reports. Reference is made in the proposal to only the Barron committee. Up to this morning we had the entire gamut of reports, including the original Irish Victims Commission report carried out by the former Tánaiste, Mr. John Wilson, and the MacEntee report. Now it is confined to only the Barron reports.

We have had ten years of investigations, reports and recommendations and when the time comes for a debate in the Dáil, we only get statements. This is not good enough. It is certainly not good enough for the victims of the various serious atrocities that took place in this jurisdiction and it will not bring closure to the victims. This is no way to treat the recommendations that have come from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights that a full debate would take place in this and the other House and that we would point the way forward with recommendations.

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