Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputies opposite who said we can never forget the horrific events of 40 years ago that we are remembering today. We cannot forget the pain of the survivors and the families that Deputy Smith has spoken about. The grief of those families has not eased despite the passage of 40 years. I assure them that the memories of their loved ones will never be forgotten. The debate has provided an important opportunity for the House to express solidarity with the families of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974 and all of the victims. It is important that it has given us the opportunity to reaffirm the united position the House has adopted, which is essential to maintain. I thank the Deputies opposite for reinforcing the point. It is critical we maintain the united position and I assure the House that the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade continue to raise the matter. The latter stated:

The Taoiseach and I greatly welcome and have worked hard to encourage a sea change in British-Irish relations. In this context, it is particularly disappointing that forty years on, it has not yet proven possible for the British government to respond positively to the Dublin-Monaghan families. I call on the British government to look afresh at this request, which has been the subject of two all-party motions in Dáil Éireann.

A few weeks ago, Theresa Villiers stated "Since May 2010 both my predecessor and I have discussed this issue several times with counterparts in the Irish Government and I continue to do so." I assure Deputies that it will be maintained and that we will continue to raise these issues at the highest level, reflecting the unified position in the motion in the Dáil and in the Senate. Every effort will be made to progress the situation so that the information about which Deputies have spoken will be made available. I conclude by repeating that this is being dealt with at the highest level and will continue to be dealt with in this manner in the coming months.

See this speech in context