Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

I thank Deputy Adams for raising this, which is one of the darkest episodes in the history of the Troubles. It occurred on 9, 10 and 11 August 1971 in Ballymurphy, West Belfast. Eleven people were shot dead, as the Deputy has said, by British security forces over these terrible three days, and the trauma of this continues to be felt by the families of the victims. In a very real way, the people of Ballymurphy and Springfield continue to live with the legacy of those three days and struggle to this day to come to terms with such a devastating loss of life within their community - indeed, within the Deputy's own community. I would like to take this opportunity to put on record an expression of deep sympathy to the families of the victims and to their neighbours and friends who continue to grieve for their lost loved ones.

The families, friends and neighbours of the 11 victims have come together to create the Ballymurphy Massacre Campaign to co-ordinate their efforts to seek justice. In November of last year, members of the campaign travelled to London to petition MPs on behalf of the campaign. On 16 March this year another family member testified in Washington before the US Helsinki Commission, which monitors compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE commitments, and this provided the campaign with an opportunity to highlight its quest internationally. The campaign has not been easy, and despite the 40-year anniversary of the killings this August, the families have yet to achieve the closure they justly deserve.

The Government has sought to assist the Ballymurphy Massacre Campaign in its quest for justice. Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintain frequent contact with the campaign and its legal representatives, and they have met on a number of occasions this year. On 23 March 2011, shortly after assuming office, the Taoiseach made clear that he was prepared to meet with the families of the victims. A meeting between officials from the Department of the Taoiseach and the Ballymurphy Massacre Campaign was held in June to prepare for this meeting with the Taoiseach.

At present, the killings in Ballymurphy are being investigated by the historical inquiries team, HET, which was established in September 2005 by the then PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, with the aim of reviewing each of the deaths that occurred in the North during the Troubles. While I understand that the families have some misgivings about the HET process in its current format, I hope some good comes from these reports. More positive has been the announcement today that the Attorney General for Northern Ireland has ordered the reopening of ten coronial inquests into the events at Ballymurphy. I hope these reopened inquests can help to uncover more details and provide some measure of closure. The Government remains committed to assisting the Ballymurphy Massacre Campaign in its search for justice and will continue to support it.

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