Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not agree with this legislation. I ask the Minister to go back to the drawing board with this half-baked Bill in order to try to get it right. The Whiddy Island disaster happened 42 years ago. I suppose I am the only Deputy who was unfortunate enough to see what happened that night. I was 11 years old and standing on our doorstep 20 miles away, west of Schull, and looking at the ball of fire in the sky. It was a ball of fire in the sky that could not be described. There were no mobile phones and poor contact at times. Visitors were at our house with my father. A gentleman with them went as far north as was possible to see where the fire was coming from. No matter how far north they travelled, it still was ahead of them. That was 42 years ago, when a massive explosion occurred on the French oil tanker and took the lives of 51 people.

We recently heard a radio documentary called "Fire in the Sky", which caused many people to relive that night. It is well known now that no rescue took place because of the catastrophic safety failures and the regulatory system in place in the run-up to the disaster was appalling. The Irish, French and British families concerned have had to live with this, together with the fallout afterwards. There has been no resolution. Throughout this horrendous ordeal for the families over the last 42 years, the State has never apologised to them for the appalling failures in the administration of justice and in implementing regulation.

We are back to this topic again tonight. Some 42 or 43 years on, we are still going to make the same mistakes. The only thing the Minister might be able to do, seeing as he is not going to put the legislation right, is to talk to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and perhaps consider apologising to the families affected by the Whiddy Island tragedy. Perhaps the Minister might meet members of the French-Irish Association of Relatives and Friends of the Betelgeuse group to help them in their goal to have the High Court change the victims' death certificates to a finding of unlawful deaths. Michael Kingston has been mentioned several times tonight. It is no wonder. Not only has he fought a major battle regarding the Whiddy Island disaster to rectify the wrongs done there, but he has also fought bravely for other people in a voluntary capacity. That must be commended.

I will apologise to those families if the members of the Government fail in their duty to do so as the leaders of this country. I refer to the Minister, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach. I will apologise to the families. Perhaps the biggest apology needed is in the context of sitting down with the families and myself and have a meaningful conversation. Perhaps we could all do the same thing and apologise to Mr. Kingston and the families. I had family who died that night in the Whiddy Island disaster. It is a tragic story that can be told, as are the stories of the other 50 people who died that night. It is sad to think that 42 years later these people can still find no justice, as I see it, in this legislation as it is. I plead with the Minister to take a step back, if for no other reason than out of respect for these people and to try to see if we can right the wrong here. I have no doubt that Michael Kingston, with his expert knowledge in this field, would certainly help the Government with this legislation, if it were to go through later. I refer to ensuring that proper investigations can take place and proper legislation is in place for that to happen.

I do not know if the Minister is going to withdraw the Bill. I do not think he will, but I certainly ask him to do so. Equally, I ask him to talk to the Tánaiste and to the Taoiseach - and I raised this issue here some months back as well - and issue an apology to these families. That is the least the State can do after this much time. Many of these people have been waiting for this apology. Agonisingly, they lost loved ones that night off Bantry Bay. It is a disaster that will never be forgotten in the memories of the people of west Cork

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