Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has said on a number of occasions, in replies to parliamentary questions and in response to debates on this issue over the past year or two, that he has examined all of the new evidence presented to him and that he has concluded that nothing he has examined has changed his mind regarding Mr. Paul Coffey's final report. In that light, would it be possible for the Minister to meet the relatives and victims committee to explain why he believes the new evidence is not sufficient and why he thinks the Keane and Coffey conclusions are valid?

As the Minister of State knows, Ms Antoinette Keegan, who is a leading personality in the Stardust relatives and victims committee, occupied the security area at the Department of the Taoiseach for 24 hours last week on foot of a commitment given by the current Taoiseach during the 2011 general election contest. I understand that when he was in Coolock in support of Deputy Terence Flanagan's re-election campaign, the Taoiseach gave the people of Artane and Coolock a commitment that he would put a commission of investigation in train. On the basis of what he had heard at that stage, perhaps having listened to me and other Deputies in this House over the years, he felt a commission of investigation was necessary. Will the Minister of State follow up on that? The Tánaiste told me last Thursday morning that if a request for a meeting with representatives of the relatives and victims committee went to him, he would be prepared to meet them and such a meeting could take place.

The key aspect of the Minister of State's response was the statement that "unwarranted significance has been attributed to differences between a draft report and the final report". I suggest that the decision to omit Mr. Coffey's call for the establishment of a commission of investigation was a profound change. It is understandable that the relatives and victims committee and its advisers have paid strong attention to the draft report.

A number of investigations have taken place under the legislation that was introduced by Michael McDowell in 2004. I refer, for example, to the investigations in the cases of Dean Lyons and Gary Douch, a constituent of mine who died tragically. These commissions of investigation were short, sharp and effective. They did not cost the State a great deal of money. I think the commission of investigation approach is the right one to adopt in terms of cost. I thank the Minister of State for her attention to this matter. I would like her to ask the Minister, Deputy Shatter, to act in the manner that has been requested by the committee.

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