Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Eames-Bradley process concerned how one deals with the past. It needs to be revisited again and people need to consider how this can be done. There is no doubt that there are many people who have not been able to find a means to move on after tragedies visited upon them. To find a mechanism that would be regarded on all sides of the community as appropriate and which would give them an opportunity to find a way to move on is difficult, not only to conceive but also to execute and bring to fruition.

Various mechanisms have been used that would help people with historical inquiries, etc. People have been able, in a private way, to obtain facts about the circumstances of the death of a loved one, thus enabling them to move on. They find this helpful. Therefore, there is an individual way to proceed. Whether there can be a wider societal effort to deal with these matters has been exercising the minds of many for a long time. A model that would meet with the approval of all has evaded everyone thus far. The Eames-Bradley report is the most structured response we have seen to the issue. Perhaps it can be revisited now in the aftermath of the Saville report as a means of dealing with the wider and more general issue to which Deputy Kenny referred.

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