Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 9, and 43 together.

I acknowledge those across the House who work on a cross-party basis with the Government on this issue and the tireless efforts of Justice for the Forgotten. Dealing with long outstanding issues related to the legacies of the conflict in Northern Ireland is of the utmost importance to the Government. A Programme for a Partnership Government highlights this priority, with specific reference to implementation of the all-party Dáil motions on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. This year 17 May marked the 43rd anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings which saw the biggest loss of life in a single day during the Troubles. Deputy Charles Flanagan who was then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade participated on behalf of the Government in the commemoration ceremony that day and in addressing the commemoration ceremony he reaffirmed the Government’s determination to continue and complete our efforts to seek the truth of those awful events of 17 May 1974.

The all-party motion on the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings that was adopted by the Dáil on 25 May 2016 has, like those adopted in 2008 and 2011, been conveyed to the British Government. The motions call on the British Government to allow access, as correctly noted by the Deputy, by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, as well as the Dublin bombings of 1972 and 1973, the bombing of Kay’s Tavern in Dundalk and the murder of Seamus Ludlow. The Government is committed to actively pursuing the implementation of the all-party Dáil motions and has consistently raised the matter with the British Government. The Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, has spoken directly with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. James Brokenshire, about the matter and is actively engaged with the British Government on an ongoing basis on it, as are officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As part of this engagement, the Government underlines that the Dáil motions represent the consensus political view in Ireland that an independent, international judicial review of all the relevant documents is required to establish the full facts of the Dublin and Monaghan atrocities. The Minister has also advised the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that the absence of a response from the British Government is of deep concern to the Government and this House and emphasised the urgent need for a response from the British Government. The Government will continue to engage with the British Government on the request relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and will pursue all possible avenues that could achieve progress on this issue, consistent with the request made by the Deputy and the Dáil.

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