Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Something I would say in response to Deputy Tóibín is that nobody should talk about reconfiguring the structures of Stormont until the Executive and Assembly are restored. If we go down the route of trying to bring about changes now, we would get into even more deep difficulty. All of us in the House want to see the institutions back and fully functioning representing the people. The members of the Assembly were decided a year ago in an election.

I am very glad that recently there was a meeting of the British-Irish Council. Yesterday, there was a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. Last night, I watched the BBC and UTV. It was clear from the remarks of the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, that the Government was not in any way weakening its response to the desperate legislative measures the British Government is trying to put through the House of Lords at present. Under no circumstances can we accept the Bill in any shape or form. It cannot be amended to become good legislation. It needs to be scrapped. We need to go back to the drawing board and the Stormont House Agreement to deal with legacy issues.

I was very glad that yesterday the BBC reported the British Government's lack of response to this Parliament with regard to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 and requests made by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste following repeated representations by me with regard to the Belturbet bombing of 1972. These issues were raised again yesterday. Under no circumstances could the Government countenance acceptance in any shape or form of the legacy Bill. It is reprehensible. Deputy Tóibín said it provides an amnesty for murderers who belong to paramilitary organisations and British state forces. Regardless of their background, if people caused murder or harm or carried out criminal acts, they should not get an amnesty.

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