Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The House will be aware that dealing with the legacy of the past relating to the conflict in Northern Ireland is a major priority for me as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and for my Government colleagues. This commitment is reflected in the Programme for a Partnership Government, which makes specific reference to pursuing the issue of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. The all-party motion on the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings adopted in this House on 25 May 2016 has, like those adopted in 2008 and 2011, been conveyed directly to the British Government. These motions call on the British Government to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents relating to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings.

The Government is committed to pursuing actively the implementation of these all-party motions and has consistently raised the issue with the British Government. The Taoiseach has raised the issue with Prime Minister May, emphasising the Government’s continued support for the Dáil motions. I have also raised the issue on a number of occasions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire, most recently at our meeting in Belfast on 19 January, just last week. In our discussions, I advised the Secretary of State that the Dáil motions represent the consensus political view in Ireland that an independent, international judicial review of all the relevant documentation is required to establish the full facts of the Dublin-Monaghan atrocities. I have also underlined to the Secretary of State that the absence of a response from the British Government is a matter of deep concern to the Government and the House. I emphasised the urgent need for a response from the British Government.

Secretary of State Brokenshire has acknowledged the importance that the Government and Dáil Éireann attach to this case. He indicated the British Government is still considering how it could respond in a way that would adequately address the motions and be consistent with its obligations. The Government will continue to pursue this matter with the British authorities, urging them to provide a satisfactory response to the motions that have been adopted by this House on a cross-party basis.

There are many families throughout these islands and beyond who continue to deal not only with the awful pain of losing a loved one but also with the struggle for answers decades after these traumatic events. Accordingly, the setting up of a new comprehensive framework for dealing with the past, as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement, remains a priority for the Government.

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