Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It would be wonderful if we could have the report before the end of the year. I remind the Minister - not that she needs reminding but for the record - that Shane O'Farrell was killed on 2 August 2011, so we are coming into the tenth year of the anniversary of his death. The Minister and the House are aware of the efforts his family have gone through to get an inquiry and to get justice. There are significant questions regarding what happened with the killer, his criminal record and the fact that he was at large when he probably should have been incarcerated. There were many prison sentences attached to the list of breaches of legislation, in the North and in the South, of which he was found guilty. For nine years, Lucia O'Farrell in particular and the rest of her family have been campaigning extremely hard.

On 14 June 2018, this House passed a motion, tabled by a current member of a Government party, Deputy O'Callaghan, to demand an open public inquiry into the events leading up to Shane O'Farrell's death. On 13 February, 2019 the Seanad did likewise. The two Houses of the Oireachtas have called for this and we are still waiting. We cannot keep hiding behind Covid. A lot of work can be done online and we need to progress these matters. If the Minister is giving a commitment that something will be produced by the judge by the end of the year, then we should all hold her to that. By that I mean the family and the Oireachtas, because both Houses have voted for this to happen and we are still waiting.

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