Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Like my constituency colleague, I too come from a Border county, where the Troubles, and this event in particular, have had a major impact. As has been said, the terrible atrocities that took place in Monaghan and Dublin in May 1974 represented the greatest loss of human life in any single day during the Troubles. For me it is a vague memory, but unfortunately for the survivors and the victims' families the memory is all too clear. I am disgusted and horrified that collusion took place. It is evident that the British Government has indeed frustrated attempts to obtain the truth about these and similar incidents for which there is credible evidence of collusion. There cannot be true closure for the families of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings until the full truth about collusion comes to the surface and responsibility is apportioned. This must no longer be swept under the carpet. Somebody must be held accountable.

It is a bit rich for the British Government to take a strong and vociferous stand on international terrorism while remaining mute on the issue of its former State-sponsored terrorism in the form of collusion. As Mr. Justice Barron noted, the value of his report "was reduced by the [British Government's] reluctance to make original documents available and the refusal to supply other information on security grounds." I request that all documentation and information of the British state be made available to allow, once and for all, a truly complete report on collusion. If this does not happen, the issue will follow the British Government for ever until it eventually releases the documents. It should do this for the sake of the survivors and the families and in view of the current era of political accommodation, with co-operation taking place between the DUP and Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland.

I concur with the recommendation of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights sub-committee on the Barron report that a historical inquiries team be established to investigate unresolved crimes connected with the Troubles and that this link up with a similar body in Northern Ireland. I believe and hope this will be recommended by the Eames-Bradley Consultative Group on the Past. I welcome the clear intention of this group to tackle collusion. It is also important that a full and independent inquiry be established into the murder of Pat Finucane.

Although progress is slow, it is taking place. For example, last week's announcement of the establishment of four victims commissioners for Northern Ireland to work on behalf of victims and survivors is to be welcomed. I acknowledge the work of my constituency colleague, the late John Wilson, as a victims commissioner and of Nuala O'Loan, whose tireless work as Police Ombudsman did a lot to instil Nationalist confidence in the North's new police force. In recent times we have witnessed the co-operation of the Garda Síochána in the murder investigation following the death of Paul Quinn in my constituency, which is a welcome advance and which I hope will bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.

Although these are all progressive steps, the British Government's current intransigence prevents closure for the survivors and the victims' families. As a Government TD, I call on the British Government to provide this closure. It is necessary to realise that those affected by the tragedies are entitled to the truth. We have come a long way since 1974, but the memory of this terrible event lives on in the minds of the survivors and the victims' families. They must no longer be forgotten. They have a right to truth and justice.

See this speech in context