Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government fully supports the all-party Dáil motions of July 2008 and May 2011 urging the British Government to allow access by an independent international judicial figure to all documents in its possession relating to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings.

I have raised this issue on several occasions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, MP, including, most recently, when I had the opportunity to meet her in Dublin on 11 February last, when she assured me that she would consider afresh how the British Government can respond to the Dáil motions.

I welcome the continued all-party support for the campaign on behalf of the Dublin-Monaghan families. As I noted earlier, the Justice for the Forgotten campaign, which supports victims and their families and which operates as a project of the Pat Finucane Centre, continues to receive grant aid from my Department. As I indicated in my reply, the Government continues to have a long-standing relationship with Justice for the Forgotten and the Pat Finucane Centre. Meetings have taken place on several occasions, the most recent of which was at senior political level. Contact at official level is both regular and ongoing. In recent weeks my officials met representatives of both organisations in Belfast. Following those discussions, I remain open to considering a meeting with both groups.

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