Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Under the section dealing with the North, the programme for Government commits the Government to "maintaining the needs of the victims and their survivors at the core of our approach". Could the Taoiseach explain how this squares with the decision of the Government to force the family of Séamus Ludlow, who was murdered in 1976 in north Louth, to go to the High Court today? In 2006, the final report of the Oireachtas joint committee on justice concluded that commissions of investigation were needed.

Despite this clear statement of support, successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-led Governments have refused to do this. As a consequence of the State's actions, the Ludlow family, who have been seeking the truth for 40 years, today find themselves in the High Court. Will the Taoiseach instruct his legal representatives in the court to stop opposing the creation of commissions of investigation as recommended? Will he support the family in their efforts to establish the circumstances of Seamus Ludlow's death and the role of British state agencies in it and establish the commissions of investigation recommended by the justice committee?

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