Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Go raibh maith agat. Ba mhaith liom ar dtús a rá go bhfuil me ag roinnt mo chuid ama leis an Teachta Seán Ardagh.

The Good Friday Agreement acknowledges that "We must never forget those who have died or have been injured, and their families". As someone who has, with my colleagues in the Green Party, consistently campaigned for truth and reconciliation, including calling for investigations into collusion and a debate on collusion in both Houses of the Oireachtas, I welcome the fact that this debate has eventually come about. I hope that the debate adds political impetus to the investigation of collusion and to the identification of measures to bring closure to victims.

I regret that this debate is not specifically on the issue of collusion and that there is no motion before the House. My contribution will focus on collusion, which is a fundamental human rights issue for victims and their relatives.

It is very important that the concerns arising from this and other reports are widely understood. I support the Government's efforts, and urge that such efforts continue, to impress upon the British Government that it must examine the findings of the Barron, Oireachtas sub-committee and MacEntee inquiries. The British Government must address the issues raised by these reports, including by full disclosure of information as highlighted by Mr. Justice Barron.

A significant number of the 3,700 murders remain unsolved and families on both sides of the Border still have no explanation as to why their loved ones were snatched away from them so cruelly. Justice needs to be served. Every effort must be made to uncover the truth for these families to provide them with some closure on the terrible events of the past 40 years. We are reminded today by the presence of representatives of Justice for the Forgotten and others that the turmoil of the past 40 years was not confined to the Six Counties. The greatest loss of life in a single day of the Troubles occurred on Friday, 17 May 1974 when 34 people were killed in four separate explosions in Dublin and Monaghan. Approximately 258 people were injured in the blasts, with many continuing to suffer to this day. I was on Abbey Street, one of the many people in the centre of Dublin on that day and I felt the blast like hundreds of others, but we were spared the injuries suffered by many people.

Bereaved families and survivors of the 1974 bombings joined those affected by the Dublin bombings of 1 December 1972 and 20 January 1973 to ensure that their loved ones were not forgotten. Their campaign led to the establishment by the Government in 2000 of the Barron and MacEntee commission of investigation. Regrettably, important questions remain unanswered. Many survivors and those who lost loved ones are still battling today, demanding to know the truth as to why their loved ones died.

The Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland and the Historical Enquiries Team of the PSNI in reviewing past investigations have important roles to play. Their work is difficult, painstaking and often frustrating. They must rebuild memories, locate papers and challenge accepted wisdoms, and that could perhaps reopen the scars of that troubled time. They can uncover disturbing truths. Both offices have been subject to criticisms, some valid and some unfair. However, the importance of shining a light on events, if just to say how someone died or to return personal belongings kept in evidence, cannot be underestimated.

The Consultative Group on the Past under the chairmanship of Lord Robin Eames and Mr. Denis Bradley has been tasked by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to see whether there is a consensus on how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles. There are myriad opinions on how best this can be achieved, but there is no single answer. The group has cast a wide net in its attempt to listen to and incorporate as many voices as possible. It has held private consultations and public meetings and its members have heard about people's pain. They are talking to victims, their organisations, political parties, the two Governments, the security forces, paramilitaries, lawyers and others in gathering the thoughts, insights and emotions of all stakeholders, whether citizens or office holders, with a view to building a better future for Northern Ireland. Members of the group are in attendance today and they have the Government's support for the difficult work they are undertaking.

Victims' groups, including Justice for the Forgotten, have articulated various approaches to dealing with the past that I am sure are receiving close consideration. One proposal was a recent call by a consortium of groups for the establishment of a truth commission. This approach was advocated by the Green Party and I am pleased to see that it is being considered by the Consultative Group on the Past. When the group makes its report to the British Government in June, I hope that whatever solution it recommends deals adequately with all aspects of the atrocities in question, including collusion. A truth commission would be intended to prioritise the search for truth over the desire for retribution. The group believes that the criminal justice system has frustrated the process of truth recovery. It argues that fear of prosecution means that those who know the real story about the bombings in Dublin and Monaghan and many other atrocities that have scarred this island in the past 40 years will never come forward. It articulates a process of individual and societal healing through an acknowledgment and a deeper understanding of the history of the Troubles.

Consideration of any such approach would need to be balanced against the desires of others to see justice done or to leave this possibility open should the necessary evidence be collected. Progress would need to be contingent on respect for the law, including obligations under international law. On this island, we have the potential for a good future, but to get there we cannot blind ourselves to the past. We must ensure that the wounds of the Troubles are not allowed to fester because we need healing. The announcement on Monday of the new Victims Commission for Northern Ireland was an important step forward and I wish the commissioners well as it begins its work.

The Good Friday Agreement states that building a peaceful and just society would be the true memorial to the victims of violence. Addressing serious issues, including collusion, can contribute to building that society. We owe it to the victims, to those who can no longer speak for themselves, to learn from the mistakes of the past so that we are not doomed to repeat them endlessly. It is only right that we have this debate now.

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