Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

For those who do not know, Bonnybrook is in Coolock on the north side of Dublin.

One of the criticisms of this report from the Relatives and Victims Committee is that experts were not interviewed, including fire experts, forensic pathologists, building experts and key witnesses. That includes the external witness who had made an emergency telephone call that placed the fire on the roof of the building very early. In terms of forensics, the Coffey report and this assessment note that a shirt worn by one of the survivors which was stained with some of the flammable substance dripping from the roof "is no longer available for testing". Given the advances in forensics over recent years, I would have expected that these items of evidence would have been preserved so they could have been re-tested.

It is clear from witnesses that the fire was well established in the roof space from very early. A waitress who gave evidence spoke of how there were at least 50 drums, each containing five gallons of cooking oil, stored in the roof space in breach of fire and building regulations. There were flammable materials piled high in the roof space, planning and fire regulations were broken everywhere and emergency doors were padlocked shut, yet no charge was ever brought against the establishment or the management of the club. That speaks volumes.

I believe the terms of this assessment were too narrow. This was a cul-de-sac, and the Government knew it. The only way to get to the bottom of this tragedy is through a new commission of inquiry. Anything else simply will not do. It has been 36 years. Nobody should have to wait that long to get the truth about what happened to their loved ones.

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