Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to make a small contribution to this debate. This is an important motion, having regard to the history of the Stardust fire. The fire in the Stardust nightclub in Artane on St. Valentine's Day 1981 was an appalling tragedy which resulted in a terrible loss of life. Forty-eight people were killed and many more injured in the fire. All those who died were young people looking forward to the future and living full and active lives. Their families were devastated by the fire which has scarred the communities of Artane, Coolock, Raheny, Donnycarney and Kilbarrack to this day.

The tribunal of inquiry established at the time, the so-called Keane inquiry, found that the probable cause of the fire was arson. This was a hopeless finding which did not satisfy anybody and caused serious distress for the families of the bereaved. That it was merely an opinion of the inquiry chairman made matters worse. The motion is important for this reason. Notwithstanding the location of the fire when it first started, its cause remains unknown and it appears from the findings of Mr. Paul Coffey that it will never be known.

I pay tribute to Mr. Greg O'Neill, solicitor for the families of the Stardust victims, who in 2006 presented to the Government the families' submission entitled, Nothing but the Truth. As stated, the submission was largely based on a previous book written by Neil Fetherstonhaugh and Tony McCullagh entitled, They Never Came Home: The Stardust Story, which features a foreword by Christy Moore. Anybody who wishes to understand the full circumstances of the Stardust fire should read this book which is a fair and accurate reflection of the fire and subsequent events. I wish, however, to clear up one of a small number of inaccuracies in the book because it is raised from time to time. The submission that Mr. Patrick Butterly was related in some way to my father, Mr. Charles Haughey, or his election agent at the time, Mr. Pat O'Connor, is a complete inaccuracy. It is worthwhile to correct the record on this matter.

I regret that Deputies Terence Flanagan and Broughan introduced a party political note to the debate. It should be noted that a Fine Gael-Labour Party Government led by Garret FitzGerald established the compensation arrangements which have been criticised in this debate. We should not take a party political stance on the issue. Any fair-minded assessment of the book to which I referred will demonstrate that my father, the late Charles Haughey, did everything in his power to deal with the matter, as has been recognised by the relatives of the victims of the Stardust fire. For this reason, I regret the party political tone introduced to the debate.

I pay tribute to the Stardust victims' committee, in particular the Keegan family, including the late John Keegan whom I did not know very well, and Christine Keegan and her daughter, Antoinette, whom I know very well. I have worked constructively with them and other members of the committee on a number of issues during the years. From time to time, certain issues rose temporarily to the top of the committee's agenda. One such issue was the planning applications submitted for the site of the Stardust nightclub in Artane. As a city councillor, I was pleased to work with the committee on the insensitive planning applications submitted by the Butterly family in respect of the site and we were successful in that regard. The idea that one would open a public house or licensed premises on the site is simply appalling, as Dublin City Council recognised. It has still to be determined what will happen to the site.

The owners of the Stardust nightclub, the Butterly family, have many questions to answer. The tribunal found that they had acted with reckless disregard for the safety of their patrons, although no charges have been brought against members of the family. It is ironic in the extreme that the Butterly family subsequently claimed substantial damages from Dublin Corporation.

I also worked closely with the Stardust victims' committee on the provision of a suitable memorial to the victims of the awful tragedy. The Stardust Memorial Park in Bonnybrook, constructed at a cost of £250,000, is a suitable and fitting memorial to those who died in the fire. It consists of a park, water feature, rose garden and a sculpture of two young dancers designed by Mr. Robin Buick. For relatives or anyone affected by the fire in any way, the park is a place where one can get solitude and remember the victims.

I also worked with the committee on its strong wish that such a tragedy would never happen again. A lot of work has been done in that regard. The Minister outlined in his address what has been done to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. All of the Stardust recommendations have received full and careful consideration and have been implemented or taken into account in the ongoing formulation of policy on fire safety and the development of local authority fire services in the intervening period.

Improvements have been carried out on a comprehensive basis. The fire service has changed totally since 1981. There have been significant improvements, affecting all areas of the service and how it does its business, especially in more recent years. These include increased investment in infrastructure and equipment, more staff, better training and communications and various pieces of legislation. The committee can be proud that it achieved its objective to do everything possible to prevent such a tragedy from happening in future.

On 17 April 2002 I wrote to Ms Antoinette Keegan and said I believed there was now a compelling case to review all aspects of this situation, having regard to recent developments, new information and the changed circumstances and supported her demand for a new inquiry to look at the causes and circumstances of the fire and to examine the issue of compensation for survivors and relatives of the disaster.

It has been a long battle but much progress was made down through the years. The five unidentified victims could be identified, having been exhumed and undergone new scientific analysis using DNA. That has brought enormous comfort to the families involved. I have often visited the graves in St. Fintan's Cemetery in Sutton and it is a great relief to see the individual headstones and that the families can be sure of exactly where their loved ones are buried.

I am conscious of the recommendation from Mr. Paul Coffey that outstanding counselling and medical treatment should be afforded to survivors and the bereaved. This should have been provided by the State to those who were obviously suffering. I welcome that recommendation. The committee should be set up immediately, with involvement from the HSE. I take on board what the Minister said this evening.

I thank the former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern. He showed enormous patience in dealing with this issue and moving on the agenda. I also thank the media and, in particular, RTE for highlighting various issues of concern to the committee over the years. Finally, I extend my sincere sympathy, at this difficult time when we are coming up to the anniversary of the fire, to the families of the victims and those who were injured. I hope the report and this motion will provide some sort of closure and peace of mind.

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