Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputies for their contributions. It is important that we do not forget the events that lie behind this tribunal. Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Robert Buchanan, two unarmed policemen, were targeted in a well planned ambush by an IRA murder squad. They faced a hail of bullets and both were shot in the head at close range. In short, they were victims of a cold blooded execution.

The tribunal is carrying out an important inquiry to establish the truth behind suggestions that gardaí or other State employees colluded in those killings and it must be allowed to carry out its work without hindrance. It was always my intention that that occur. I would like at this point to respond to Deputy Mattie McGrath. We must remember that this tribunal was established in 2005. When I took office more than €8 million of taxpayers' money had been spent on the tribunal, with no public report of any description to this House as to progress being made by it. As a consequence of the steps taken in the motion passed in the House at the beginning of June, we received a progress report at the end of June.

It is important that tribunals engaged in serious work, as is this tribunal, cannot carry on their work indefinitely, without ever reporting to the Houses of the Oireachtas as to where matters stand. While it would be entirely wrong for the tribunal to pre-judge the outcome of any issue which is the subject matter of its inquiries, it should inform the House where matters stand. Taxpayers are also entitled to know this. That was the purpose of the motion in June. The timeframe then prescribed by the motion was based on a timeframe indicated to me by Judge Smithwick as the appropriate timeframe for conclusion of the tribunal's work. It then turned out that Judge Smithwick had a different view subsequently. That view has proven correct.

However, the motion preceded the commencement of the oral hearings of the tribunal. It has held extensive oral hearings and some parts of the oral hearings have been reported in the press. It would be entirely inappropriate for me, as Minister for Justice and Equality, to refer in any shape or form to any selection of the evidence reported to have been given. It is of the utmost importance that the tribunal independently completes its oral hearings and its inquiries and produces a report. It is my hope that it will now be able to fulfil the timeframe indicated to the Clerk of the Dáil by Judge Smithwick. There is a very real public interest in the tribunal completing its work in reaching the conclusions appropriate to the evidence heard by it and the inquiries conducted by it, both in the national interest and very much in the interest of the bereaved families of the two RUC officers who so tragically died.

Nevertheless, having expressed the hope that the tribunal would complete its work within the now prescribed timeframe in the motion before the House, if something unexpected occurs and if Judge Smithwick again corresponds to the Clerk of the Dáil requiring a time extension, that will be given the consideration of Government and of the House. There is a keen interest in ensuring the tribunal independently completes its work and deliberations and reports to the House.

On a final point, Deputy Mattie McGrath said that the Technical Group did not oppose this matter and that a Deputy in the Technical Group was raising another matter. This was No. 12 on the Order of Business and it was the third proposal to be put to the House. It was clearly a matter relating to the arrangements before the House for the taking of this very important motion.

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