Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

On behalf of the Labour Party, I welcome the relatives of those who lost their lives in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974 who are in the Visitors Gallery. I remember that day because I was fortunate enough to be ill. I heard the bombs go off, but I was not where I was meant to be - right beside where one of the bombs went off. Therefore, I empathise with the feelings of those who suffered on that day.

Obviously, I speak in favour of the motion on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. With the relatives who remember the victims, I also salute my colleague, Deputy Joe Costello, and the late Tony Gregory who consistently remembered this anniversary when many us tended to forget it.

It is to be regretted that the British Government has not complied with the request for access to the documents it holds on the atrocities committed on 17 May 1974 in which 33 innocent people and one unborn person perished. For the sake of the families of those whose loved ones were killed on the day and those who live with injuries from that day, it would be good to have closure to these appalling events. Access to the documents would shed some light on what happened and put to bed the issue of whether there was collusion between British forces and loyalist terrorist groups. While such information might not have as stunning an impact as David Cameron's unexpected full apology for the events of Bloody Sunday in Derry, it would have a major impact for the better. It might even lead to a further apology from the United Kingdom. I understand the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, has had conversations with the British Foreign Secretary, Mr. William Hague, and gather there is open dialogue. I understand he has also met representatives of Justice for the Forgotten. They are hopeful signs which I hope will yield success for those looking for answers.

I concur with the Minister about the trouble on the streets today, the details of which are only coming to my attention. It is greatly to be regretted because the British monarch is the head of state of our nearest neighbour. While we have a tangled relationship with our neighbouring country, it is appropriate that she should be welcomed wholeheartedly on her first visit to the Republic. It is very important that we send the message that past disputes between our two countries are buried. I look forward to a time when a visit by the British monarch will be treated in the same way as a visit by the Queen of Denmark in order that those who wish to view what is going on can do so easily and those who do not can ignore the event.

It is appropriate the motion has been included in the Order of Business today given the date that is in it. I say to its movers that, in many respects, the Dublin and Monaghan bombings were a response to the deadly activities of Sinn Féin and the IRA in the 1970s. I am very glad Sinn Féin has moved towards a situation where others and I in constitutional parties can work closely with it.

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