Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

As a public representative for a Border area, representing a vast area close to Derry city, I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important matter. I also welcome the opportunity to put on record how far we have come and the further journey we must make, probably a similar distance, to find truth and closure for the people and families who have lost loved ones. The quest for truth and justice is paramount at this important juncture of the peace process.

In 1996 we were fortunate to have an extensive peace and reconciliation programme, in which all Governments and parties were involved, including Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. I also acknowledge the efforts of Sinn Féin, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and Independents. It was an ADM/CPA funded peace and reconciliation programme. That was a first stage where communities could interface with each other and begin the journey of building trust by seeing they could be in the same room as people they perceived to be different in disposition and attitude. I commend everybody involved in the peace and reconciliation programme through to PEACE II. They were not just ambitious but also courageous people who decided to work on a cross-Border basis. They worked hard and diligently bringing communities from different sides of the divide and different religious backgrounds together. They brought the peace process to where it is today. At community and grassroots level they created an interface that had not happened previously. That built a platform and mechanism whereby the peace process could evolve, as it subsequently did.

The next chapter of the peace process was the political ambition to get the Assembly up and running. Fortunately, that did take place. We believed it would happen but many of us still watch in disbelief the politicians from different poles of the political spectrum sitting and working together. It is most welcome.

The next stage in the process is the most important, the quest for truth and justice. This seeks to bring closure for families and campaigners who have worked vociferously and diligently to have independent investigations carried out to get to the truth about collusion among the security forces and terrorist organisations. We must heed these representative groups and the individuals and families who have lost loved ones. We have a political obligation and are accountable to these people. If we do not get closure on activities that happened over the past 30 years, we will not evolve as a democratic society and the peace process will be derailed. We must open some type of forum which people can enter safely, where the truth can be told and where proper information can be provided.

I commend my party leader, Deputy Enda Kenny, on taking a courageous step yesterday in terms of using the east-west plank of the Good Friday Agreement to secure the release of documentation and information on many examples of collusion over the past 30 years. I represent Donegal North-East and today I received a telephone call, for the first time, from a member of the Fullerton family, Amanda Fullerton, about the murder of her father over 30 years ago. It is an example of the maturity of spirit that exists in politics in Ireland at present that people are reaching out to all political parties in seeking the truth and getting investigations started into the murder of their loved ones. Similarly, Deputy Seymour Crawford, who spoke earlier, lost a very close friend with the death of Billy Fox 30 years ago. People such as Amanda Fullerton and Deputy Seymour Crawford are simply looking for the truth to be told and to overcome the insurmountable obstacles that were placed in their paths during the past turbulent 30 years.

Deputy Brendan Smith from the Border county of Cavan who is present today is a former co-chairman of the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body. He was vociferous and proactive in working for a peace settlement. Yesterday, the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body called for proposals and suggestions on how the body should move forward. I do not wish to see the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body dissolve. An element of trust has been built up over the years through the good work it has done. The current co-chairman is Deputy Niall Blaney from my constituency. It is important that we use the body proactively to explore how best to move forward in the quest for an international truth commission.

The body offers that unique opportunity. It includes politicians from Scotland, Wales, England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. My colleague, Deputy Arthur Morgan, shares a strong relationship with many of the politicians across the water. In fact, only recently he shared a beer with Lord Dubbs in Oxfordshire. It is an example of how this democracy has moved forward. We should build upon that and use the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body. I seek support in this regard from Deputy Morgan and Deputy Brendan Smith who have strong relationships with current members of the body. I notice that Deputy Pat Carey, another former Chairman of the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body, has just come into the House. A tremendous amount of trust has been built up with that organisation. We should use it to explore the truth. Perhaps we should consider establishing some form of commission, in line with international best practice. We should look at what was done in places like South Africa before we debate the possibility of developing a similar structure. The British-Irish Interparliamentary Body will not be moving forward if we do not have something to cling to. I am sure the Ministers of State, Deputies Smith and Pat Carey, will agree in the context of a discussion on legacies that it would be wrong to allow good work that was done over the years in building trust within the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body to dissipate.

I commend Robin Eames and Denis Bradley on the pivotal role they played in starting this process, particularly with their work on the Consultative Group on the Past in Northern Ireland. It is important that we keep them involved in this process, which is in its embryonic stages. Their expertise could be used if we are to proceed with the proposal I have made in respect of the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body. It is important that Mr. Eames and Mr. Bradley meet the interparliamentary body at the earliest possible stage.

Various groups like Justice for the Forgotten have been campaigning for years. They possibly think they have been campaigning for too long. They do not have a proper platform on which they can air their own suggestions. This is not just a political process in which politicians try to make progress — it is important that representative groups and families are also involved in the debate at this juncture. As I have already said, the peace process is at a watershed at this point. Proper lines of communication should be kept open with each of the many people who have been affected by the Troubles. At the same time, we have a duty to provide for accountability in that area.

I wish to return to the initial point I made about the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. Its successor, PEACE ll, focused on the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Funding opportunities are available to those who wish to explore the legacy of the conflict. It is not a question of funding, as moneys and people with expertise are available to bring this forward. All that is required is the actual political will. The Taoiseach said yesterday that he is willing to go the extra yard to move this process forward. In fairness, we have not heard any proposals about how that might happen. My party leader, Deputy Kenny, who is also willing to go the extra yard, has placed a great deal of emphasis on the third element of the Good Friday Agreement — the development of east-west bodies. We cannot do this in an insular or self-determined way. We cannot solve these problems on our own because they are shared by everybody in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. These issues do not affect people in small or parochial areas, such as the Border counties — they affect everybody. It is important that we think thoroughly about the process we will undertake. The only way to make progress is to bring everybody into the debate.

As politicians, we are obliged to get on with our day-to-day business. We spend a great deal of our time reacting to events. We tend to look two or more months down the line — at the next budget, for example. We can facilitate proper procedures if we take the representative groups seriously. The Government has a duty to invite such groups to address the Cabinet as well as forums like the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body. The Taoiseach said he has met these people in his clinics in St. Luke's and elsewhere. A proper mechanism is needed so these people can be heard. I am not sure how that will happen. Politicians should be guided by the experience and expertise of those who have been through the ordeal of campaigning for over 30 years. We sometimes get carried away with ourselves and think we have all the answers. We feel we have to tell those in the gallery and the electorate what they want to hear. We all fall into that trap. We need to tap into what people have learned from their experiences. Those who have been looking for justice for over 30 years should be invited to participate in this debate. We need to communicate with them.

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