Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply but, like the McAnespie family, I am disappointed. I extend my solidarity to John McAnespie and to his family on this very poignant day for all of them. John is the father of Aidan. He is now in his mid-80s and he has lost his wife and a very precious daughter in the years since Aidan's murder.

I will focus only on what I have already said to the Minister on the witnesses who came before the former Deputy Garda Commissioner Eugene Crowley. As I have already indicated, I was one of those witnesses. I was familiar with the story of Aidan McAnespie up to the time of his death - the continual harassment, the threats he was subjected to and the real fear he had which he recounted to me and to many others. I do not recall Deputy Garda Commissioner Eugene Crowley extending the offer of confidentiality or any other form of words in the context of confidentiality in my case, nor would I have sought this. Will the Minister please heed the appeal in my earlier contribution and establish the number of witnesses that actually presented? Will the Minister establish the number of those for whom that confidentiality arrangement applied? I suggest it is a smaller number than many might expect. I do not, however, take away from the fact that it was important for those to whom it did apply. I do not take this away at all because I realised then and understood, and I still do, the real fear that was within my community at the time, especially in relation to that checkpoint and its regular use by some. In all sincerity I say to the Minister that it is worth undertaking a proactive engagement with the list of those to whom that arrangement applied. I warrant that in these very changed times of 30 years later that the greater number, if not all of those, would withdraw their understanding and allow for the report to be published and presented to the family, helping bring about closure for the McAnespie family and their terrible, tragic story.

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