Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I first want to welcome the bereaved families to the Gallery this evening, along with everyone who is involved with Justice for the Forgotten. They have my support, as well as the support of these benches, in their campaign for truth and justice. Their struggle for justice, despite the barriers they have faced, is absolutely inspirational. Truth, as all families who have been impacted by the conflict will know, is incredibly important. Collusion was no illusion, as so many families have had to discover and experience through their own losses.

We have had previous motions in the House on this, the single greatest loss of life in the entirety of the conflict, with 27 victims in Dublin and seven in Monaghan. Yet, now, in this the year and the week of the 50th anniversary of these bombings, the legacy Act facilitates the perpetuation of cover-up and denial of truth and justice for families. It is essential that the interstate case repeals this Act.

In recent weeks we have seen in the cases Seán Brown, Fergal McCusker and others whose inquests were closed with calls by coroners for public inquiries in cases of collusion which again shows we need the interstate case to be successful and the Act to be scrapped.

Even post the Good Friday Agreement the British Government has not delivered for victims' families and has not lived up to its responsibilities. We need to hear from the Irish Government that it is on the side of families and we need to hear from the Tánaiste this week because the silence has been too much. Irish citizens whose lives have been destroyed as they go through the trauma of the enacting of the legacy Act, all families impacted by the Dublin-Monaghan bombings and families impacted by the policy of British state collusion must hear in words and see in actions that this Government is on their side and that I will do everything to secure the repeal of this Act. The Government must do more and must do everything in its power to support these families in their quest for truth and justice.

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