Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government has taken this very seriously. In 2014 it requested the European Court of Human Rights to revise its judgment and the Tánaiste took it upon himself to meet those men who have survived and was very taken with their stories and the impact of what was done to them.

I know that the Deputy is eager and he has expressed his view that the Government should seek a referral to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights as soon as possible. The Government has not ruled out making an application for referral but this decision will not be taken lightly. The Government has three months up to 20 June from the date of decision to apply for referral and it is using the time to consider things carefully before any Cabinet decision on whether to move ahead with an application.

The Tánaiste would like to assure the men whose treatment led Ireland to take the case in 1971 and all those who have campaigned with them in the decades since that the Government regards this with the utmost seriousness and that is why it will consider the judgment of 20 March very carefully before reaching a decision based on the information and advice we have.

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