Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle selecting this important Topical Issue matter and I very much appreciate that the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, is here to deal with this question himself. The Fianna Fáil Party believes the rights of survivors and victims of the Troubles must stay on the agenda and must be kept to the fore. The newly-agreed Fresh Start agreement comes against the backdrop of protracted uncertainty and instability in the Northern Ireland Executive. While the Fianna Fáil Party has welcomed the agreement, there remains a series of issues that must be addressed to copperfasten progress and safeguard peace on this island.

This new agreement is welcome because it removes the immediate threat of long-term collapse of democratic institutions established as the result of the overwhelming support of the people of this island. It provides a fresh start only in terms of the implementation of the previous deal. Unfortunately, it does not provide a fresh start or anything close to it for many people in Northern Ireland, particularly survivors and victims of the Troubles. The new, progressive measures to deal with the legacies of the past outlined in the previous Stormont House Agreement, which I welcomed at the time, are not included in the Fresh Start agreement and, therefore, those who are seeking answers and justice have once again been sidelined with no mechanism contained in the Fresh Start agreement to address their issues.

Unfortunately, the British Government and some political groupings in particular have stood in the way of dealing with the past in order to protect their own interests. Each continues to focus on the victims of others and does the absolute minimum on anything involving their side. We share the outrage of victims groups about how this issue has been brushed aside. There is effectively nothing in the agreement for survivors and victims to deal with the legacy of the past. Where is the fresh start for those people? The WAVE Trauma Centre, the largest cross-community victims and survivors support group in Northern Ireland, has said those it works with feel "abandoned and betrayed" by the agreement. The CEO of the centre, Sandra Peake, has highlighted the failure of the Fresh Start agreement to address the needs of victims. In her words:

The two Governments and political parties have said that dealing with the suffering of victims and survivors is central to Northern Ireland moving forward. They can no longer say that with any credibility. The reality is that they have abandoned and betrayed victims and survivors who have repeatedly been promised that there would be an inclusive and comprehensive way found to deal with the legacy of the past.

These are strong words on behalf of the Wave Trauma Centre, but they demonstrate the level of anger, frustration and disappointment felt by survivors' and victims’ families. In the debate here on 25 November, the Minister expressed his disappointment with not having in place adequate measures to deal with these issues. While we acknowledge the efforts made to secure this Fresh Start agreement, we must continue to address issues that were not resolved in the agreement and to fight for the rights of survivors and victims of the Troubles.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, stated in a reply to a parliamentary question I submitted that "[g]ood progress was made on agreeing many of the details necessary for the establishment of the new institutional framework for dealing with the legacy of the past and that Agreement is very close on many of the details necessary for the establishment of these new institutions". Since the signing of the Fresh Start agreement, what has the Government done to address the concerns of survivors and victims and to move forward on institutions that will deal with the legacies of the past? What, if any, progress has been made regarding the historical investigations unit, placing the implementation and reconciliation group on a statutory footing and settling on its purpose and functions, and in deciding on the detail and operation of the oral history archive? The last day the Minister indicated to us during his contributions to the debate on Northern Ireland that he would be meeting with survivors' groups in the aftermath of the signing of the Fresh Start agreement. He might give us an update in regard to that dialogue on the progress we can hope to see made at the earliest possible date on what are very important issues.

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