Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for raising this issue in the House today, the anniversary of the savage and barbaric bombings in Dublin and Monaghan and the tragic loss of life and injuries that resulted. Thirty-eight years ago, three bombs exploded around Dublin, including not far from here, in the busy evening rush hour. Then, about 90 minutes later, another bomb exploded outside Greacen's Pub in Monaghan town. Thirty-three people were killed and more than 100 people suffered injuries in these four bombs. The families of those killed and injured have borne the grief of those tragic events. Although the passage of time may have eased their pain to some small degree, their suffering has not gone away and the memory of their loved ones lives on with them.

The late Judge Henry Barron carried out a detailed and painstaking inquiry into those awful events of May 1974 and other tragic atrocities that took place between 1972 and 1976 in which many other innocent people lost their lives. The Barron report provided some of the answers the families concerned had sought about the bombings and the subsequent hearings of the Oireachtas joint committee provided the families with an important opportunity to have their voices heard and to tell their stories. All the families still have unanswered questions about what happened to their loved ones, about why it happened and how it happened.

This House and Seanad Éireann have previously and unanimously urged the British Government to allow access to documents relevant to these events. I know that many Deputies in this House have raised this issue with our Westminster counterparts and that they will continue to do so. For its part, since this Government took office, the Taoiseach has raised the issue with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the Tánaiste has also raised the matter with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson.

Dealing with the legacy of the past is not an easy task. There is no simple formula of words or actions that can put things right. The Government is strongly committed to working in partnership with the British Government and with our colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive to find ways to address the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland. There is no ready resolution to the complexity of addressing the past. It is, however, a challenge that the two Governments and the executive are determined and willing to undertake. That said, it is also a challenge that all who were party to the conflict must also be willing to take up.

As we progress to a better future for all who share this island and those who live on the neighbouring island, we must not forget those who died, those who were injured and those who mourn them. The Good Friday Agreement recognised the special position of victims. In remembering the victims and their families, we should be strengthened in our determination to construct a changed society in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.

This House is unanimous in its message to our British counterparts. I hope we can also send a message of solidarity to the families of those who were so tragically killed in Dublin and Monaghan and, indeed, to the families of all those who lost their lives in the conflict.

Deputy Ó Caoláin referred to the closure of the Dublin office of the Justice for the Forgotten and the issue arising with regard to the storage of its documents. Unfortunately, in current financial circumstances I cannot create funding that is not available. I regret I am not in a position to address the funding issue. I would be happy to ask departmental officials to liaise with the group to see to what extent, if any, we could be of assistance in document storage.

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