Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Adams has raised a number of interesting points in his contribution. This morning, the Government noted its appreciation and that of the people of the work carried out by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock. I agree with Deputy Adams in this regard. The Government noted this contribution today.

I wish the First Minister, Mr. Robinson, very well on his decision to stand down as leader after a period. It should be noted that in his role as a public representative over very many years, he was one of the main engines of the various strands of ideas which came about. He was sometimes provocative, and I commend him and the Deputy First Minister, Mr. McGuinness, on being able to conclude the Stormont House Agreement. It was not an easy situation for either of them and it is an example of how they faced the responsibilities given to them by the people in respect of the Executive. From two very contradictory points they were able to work with everybody else to put together the Stormont House Agreement. While it is not complete and it does not cover all the issues, it is a pretty substantial achievement. It includes a range of mutually beneficial issues which have not been addressed in the media. Perhaps they might not attract the same level of attention. The First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the respective parties have put it out there for all others to accept or not as the case might be.

Deputy Adams spoke about the Government here having a different view, and we have a different view on a range of things. We will never have a united Ireland unless we have it by consent, and one of the issues that clearly is of relevance is the management of and state of the economic circumstances that apply North and South. This is why under the devolution theory the decision to devolve responsibility to the Executive, if it so wishes, to reduce the level of corporation tax to that of the Republic would benefit the economy of the island of Ireland in the time ahead. We have always gone out of our way, as Deputy Adams is well aware, to bring on board personnel from Northern Ireland on issues the Government here has dealt with abroad, be it during the European Presidency or trade missions. As he is aware, we had the first tripartite trade mission to Singapore, with Northern Ireland, the British Government and our Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. This is the direction in which we need to be able to proceed to prove to everybody that common sense and effective politics actually work in the people's interests, and the more we have in terms of benefits resulting to Northern Ireland, the better and easier it will be to break down prejudice, particularly for young people who might be in very difficult circumstances because of the legacies of the past or politically, in order that people see there is a genuine way forward around the blockages that have prevented this in the past. This type of issue is important.

We took a different view in respect of some of the infrastructure projects mentioned by the groupings. We need a process of preparation for planning and environmental issues. The Government is happy to make a further allocation in a number of years hence for the completion of the first stage of the A5 from Derry to Strabane, which is of particular interest to the Government here and to Northern Ireland with regard to getting to the north west.

It is true we do not have a bill of rights, a civic forum or Acht na Gaeilge, but surely the reason we are in politics is to be able to put these things out there and follow through on them if possible. Clearly the situation in the Executive and the Assembly does not allow for the completion of their implementation now. There is no reason, with the Stormont House Agreement in place and a fresh start, that these issues cannot come into focus again. I would be very supportive of this. I take the point on connection with the UK Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron. We have been in contact as often as needs be. He has other things in focus at present which occupy his time.

Deputy Adams mentioned the legacy of the past and victims, and I noted the comment of the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors, Judith Thompson, on national radio on Sunday. She indicated that she had invited me, as Taoiseach, and the Prime Minister to engage in a meeting with her. I checked before I came down and I have not yet received a letter from the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors. If she has written, it is still in the system or it has not reached me, and I will be very happy to respond when I receive it.

Deputy Adams also mentioned a number of other issues, including Justice for the Forgotten in respect of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. We support fully the motions passed in 2008 and 2011 urging the British Government to allow an independent international judicial figure access to all original documents in its possession relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. This is also part of the return of Ireland's most famous rock band at present, regarding a declaration in respect of Justice for the Forgotten. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has raised the issue umpteen times with the British Government, most recently on 8 October. He has received assurances from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that the British Government is actively considering how it can respond to the Dáil motions. One of them is seven years old and the other is four years old, and the question is whether there is a willingness to do it. We continue to push for this and I will raise it again with the Prime Minister.

I have spoken before about Kingsmill. A particular set of legal issues arose in the process of the preparation of materials for An Garda Síochána to transmit to the coroner regarding the inquest into the horrific murders at Kingsmill. In June this year, the Government identified a way forward which involved making regulations under the Data Protection Act and issuing a directive by the Minister for Justice and Equality under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 which helped to provide a legal mechanism for the transmission by the Garda of the relevant material. The Government also formally agreed that as much information as possible, in accordance with the law, should be provided to the inquest, and the directive and the regulations have helped the Garda authorities who have made the transfer of relevant materials to the coroner in accordance with the law. The Garda authorities' co-operation with the Northern Ireland coroner is part of an ongoing legal process, and they will continue to work with the coroner in respect of the inquest.

We also had the motion, as Deputy Adams knows, on Ballymurphy. The Clerk of the Dáil wrote to the Northern Ireland Assembly and the House of Commons communicating the motion to both legislatures. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, has brought the motion directly to the attention of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Ms Villiers, including at their meeting in September in Dublin, requesting follow-up. It should be said the Secretary of State reiterated the position, as outlined before by the Prime Minister, that the British Government feels the balance of interest does not lie in favour of creating an independent panel - I am disappointed with this - and that the existing legal procedures, processes and bodies under the Stormont House Agreement are the best means of establishing those facts not already in the public domain. I regard this as a test of the Stormont House Agreement with regard to dealing with the past because, in theory at least, it provides for an opportunity for an independent person to supply material that has not been provided to persons bereaved or aggrieved over the years. We will continue to press for an independent panel inquiry, and when it reaches the stage of being a test of the Stormont House Agreement, I hope it measures up.

In the Pat Finucane case we continue to hold the very strong view that an independent public inquiry be established into his murder in line with the commitments entered into in Weston Park.

The British Government has rejected that and we continue to have a serious difference of opinion with it about that.

With respect to Bloody Sunday of 1972, 14 people were shot dead and there is an ongoing criminal investigation by the PSNI into these murders. I do not wish to comment on the arrest of a former British soldier in connection with that. The Saville report and the subsequent apology received has helped Derry to move on and to begin building a brighter future for the citizens of that city. One never knows, the ongoing PSNI investigation may, I hope, bring the justice demanded by the families and the relatives of those murdered and further assist the healing process.

For information of the Deputies, I met members of the Omagh support group on 6 October and was accompanied by the Minister for Justice and Equality. We had a very good discussion with Mr. Gallagher and his delegation, and that followed through in the commitment I gave in Glenties in July that I would meet him. I assured him that the Government will continue to work with the people of Omagh to pursue every avenue to get to the truth and ensure that those who perpetrated this particular atrocity are brought to justice. I indicated that the Government would give a full response to all the issues raised in the report submitted to the Government following the conclusion of current criminal proceedings. These are obviously matters that will not be concluded in the short term but if we can make small steps of progress, demonstrating the honouring of commitments in the interests of truth and reconciliation, it can all be a help in the longer term.

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