Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This has been quite a substantive debate and I thank the Taoiseach and all of the Deputies, from all sides of the House, who contributed to it. Over the years, many of our days in this Chamber have been spent putting on the record the facts and the outstanding questions around terrible events in the history of the conflict and the hardship that followed for so many families. It is important that those events are acknowledged as they should be. The years have left a map of heartbreak in our collective memory. Mentions of places bring a flood of tragic associations - Ballymurphy, Kingsmill, Dublin Monaghan, Birmingham, Enniskillen, Derry, Omagh.

We must remember all those who lost their lives during the Troubles, each of them leaving behind grieving families. Too many of those families have faced needless barriers that have been placed in their path as they seek truth and justice, compounding their pain. Those proposing a statute of limitations have talked about drawing a line and moving on from the past. None of these families wants to live in the past and none of us wants to leave society indefinitely in a cycle of litigating the events of the conflict but we cannot make progress on the basis of unilateral moves by one Government to end justice and accountability, a move that so clearly also risks undermining the full facts of cases coming out. We must not try to draw a heavy curtain across our past. Instead, we have a responsibility to let the light in and the truth come forward. The way we move on as a society is by ensuring and being seen to ensure that everything possible is done to address outstanding cases that never received a full and proper investigation before now. Whether the person who fired the shot that took their loved one was a soldier or a member of a paramilitary organisation, whether he or she wore a uniform or not, every family bereaved in the conflict must have access to an effective investigation and to a process of justice, regardless of the perpetrator.

It is also important to say that I have met families who have challenged us in this State, as has been mentioned this evening, to do more to facilitate justice and truth recovery for cases where it is known or suspected that there was a significant cross-Border dimension. It is crucial to recognise and respond to that challenge and I have repeatedly said that this Government is willing to do that. We must, as a Government and a State, play our part fully in a collective approach that works for victims in all jurisdictions.

The Stormont House agreement reached in 2014 to deal with these issues is far from perfect but in truth, no perfect solution exists. Nevertheless, that agreement gave us an agreed path forward that was designed to meet the legitimate needs and expectations of victims in both jurisdictions in a way that upheld the rule of law and met our human rights obligations. We want to see such an agreed, collective approach in place and working for victims and their families. We have made clear that we are ready to engage seriously with concerns the British Government and others may have with the Stormont House agreement in order to establish an agreed way forward. The best step that could now be taken is for the British Government to withdraw its proposals for a general statute of limitations and join in good-faith engagement to find a sustainable way forward. We have made it very clear that from the Irish Government's perspective, we are ready to do that.

We must also ensure we have a vibrant, ambitious and forward-looking agenda, advancing the achievements of the Good Friday Agreement. This is why it was crucial that the NDNA agreement restored the devolved institutions after a three year absence. It is also why the Government has redoubled its efforts to implement the commitments it made at the time of NDNA, focused on working with the Executive, through the North South Ministerial Council, to deliver projects that benefit people across the island. These include greater connectivity between North and South, investing in the north west region and Border communities, supporting the Irish language in Northern Ireland and supporting reconciliation as an integral part of the peace process. Likewise, we have put forward the Shared Island initiative to bring a focus, a higher level of ambition and a genuinely inclusive approach to working on a shared future for all of us. Our focus is on harnessing the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to improve our shared, lived experience on this island and to try to bring people together. Through investment, research and dialogue, we want to deepen civic, cultural, educational, business and political links on the island and foster closer connections and mutual understanding. The Shared Island initiative is about recognising the transformative nature of dialogue and since 2020 eight Share Island dialogues have engaged in depth on key issues for our shared future, with civil society organisations engaging all communities and traditions.

In all of our endeavours, this Government always has been and will continue to be guided by our steadfast commitment to peace on this island. We know the achievements of the peace process must never be taken for granted. We will continue to work with both the UK Government and the Northern Executive to protect and uphold the Good Friday Agreement and its institutions in all circumstances. These institutions provide the people of Northern Ireland with a democratic voice and enable essential North-South and east-west dialogue. We face real challenges in the period ahead, including legacy issues, political tension and uncertainty, and of course, managing the outworkings of Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol. We have learned through hard experience that peace is a process and that it requires calm and measured leadership from both Governments, the Northern Ireland Executive and political parties there. Through the decades we have made real progress and sometimes unexpected breakthroughs that have made a real, lasting and positive difference in the lives of people throughout the island. This is what people rightly expect us to do now, again. The Covid-19 pandemic reminded us of just how fundamental co-operation on this island can be, whether it was HSE ambulances in Belfast or the close communication between the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland and NPHET in the Republic. The message was clear that we are better equipped to face the major challenges of our time when we do so collectively, together.

As a Government we will work to deliver positive change for everyone on this island by continuing to advocate for victims and survivors through the full implementation of the New Decade, New Approach agreement and by harnessing the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to improve the lives of everyone on this island. I thank everybody for contributing constructively to the debate this evening.

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