Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach. I am aware of all of that work and, undoubtedly, it marks progress. I discussed these matters when I met the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, some months ago. However, I am now making a different proposition and a different point to the Taoiseach. Rather than proceeding in an ad hocor discretionary way, we should establish multi-agency review processes of these types of homicides in law. This would allow an avenue for families, friends and each of the statutory organisations not just to share and reveal information but to learn. To return to my initial point, Clodagh and her three boys are gone. Others have also died in this horrific way. It is our job as legislators and it is the duty of statutory agencies not simply to be horrified, although we are all horrified by this turn of events, but to try to grasp why it happened so that we can take preventative action. The family have asked for an inquiry. They have not specified a particular type of inquiry. Can I suggest that rather than simply indicating a willingness to receive a submission, the Minister should meet the family in these circumstances and hear their questions directly? He should hear from them what a short, sharp informative inquiry should look like to give these families the comfort that I know we all wish for them to have.

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