Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is a motion in the name of Independents 4 Change, our group and AAA-PBP before the House that I think has widespread support. I remember Deputy McDonald standing beside me at the 35th anniversary commemoration. There is widespread support for the Government to put its name to that motion and set up the commission.

Over the years, I have heard the mantra about new evidence from the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, and the Tánaiste. Surely the litany of private investigations and outstanding investigations by journalists, some of whom I mentioned, such as Rita O'Reilly of RTE, and others, have over the years created a category of new evidence that was not assessed at the time and was not brought to the attention of the Keane tribunal. There were deficiencies in the forensic examination by An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice, so it seems to me that this mantra does not work anymore.

I mentioned the Widgery report and Hillsborough. There seems to be a great reluctance on the part of this Government and previous Governments to review the work of a tribunal but Tony Blair set up the Saville inquiry, which brought forward its report in 2010 that exonerated the people of Derry in respect of the whitewash of the Widgery report. We know about the long struggle of the families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died at Hillsborough to get justice. A new inquest was held a few months ago which produced a verdict of unlawful killing. Antoinette Keegan and her colleagues have carried on a very similar struggle for justice and deserve a similar response from the Government. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, who is sitting beside the Tánaiste, represents the area, as does the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, also represents the area.

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