John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

Lucia O'Farrell and her family have been in and out of the offices of TDs and Senators in this House to fight for justice for Shane since 2011. I am thrilled that we are here today to witness this apology from the State and to hear the Minister recount all the failings of the State during the investigation.

Today we could say it is vindication but we have to remember that all through those years it was not easy for Lucia O'Farrell and her family. It was not easy to come before each one of us here in the House to try to convince us that something was wrong. We have heard those stories before. Lucia O'Farrell painted a picture of a State and a system that was rotten, a State and a system that brought no justice to her son and that gave him no chance whatsoever. It was not the Government or the system that uncovered all of the wrongdoing. It was Lucia O'Farrell who meticulously went through every single event from 2011 onwards and put all of that information down on paper to inform every one of us and to tell us to do our job - enough empathy, enough advice and enough assurances from politicians and officials: do your job as parliamentarians. That is what she was asking, and to recognise what was wrong for her son and for many others who are confronted by a State that, as this obviously shows, could not care less.

Lucia O'Farrell is made of stern stuff. She had a backbone and she knew what she wanted to achieve. She had a love for her son that was unmatched and this drove her on. She asked me regularly in conversations, "How will I face Shane eventually if I do not get justice for Shane?" Lucia O'Farrell, you can face him whenever that day comes because you certainly have brought justice for him and you have certainly exposed the State for what it is. Every step of the way obstacles were put in your way but you did not stand back and you kept going. A greater commitment to keeping our citizens safe and our State honest is part of the legacy of Shane O'Farrell. This is what you have achieved. The corrections the Minister for Justice outlined here that are needed to make the State and the apparatus of the State function will go some way to assisting those who may have the experience like you have had, or other events in their lives, to get justice far quicker.

In here we have to question ourselves as to why we are here. We should not be here and be blindly led by party Whips or by commitment to party. We should be led by our commitment to the citizens we represent. We should be led by our commitment to justice. We should not stand back in the face of those who would like no light to be shone in the dark corners, who would like no one to be penalised or sanctioned, and who would not want the truth to come out. That day is gone. We as parliamentarians must constantly remind ourselves that we are here with an obligation to keep our people safe. With Shane O'Farrell we did not keep him safe. We put him in harm's way. The Judiciary, the DPP, and An Garda have an awful lot to answer for. I cannot ignore that. I will not ignore either the bravery of our Minister who I am sure, in spite of what he was told and in spite of the obstacles that were put in his way, came forward and gave this apology. It was a little piece of leadership quality that others should take note of. It is that type of bravery we need from the ordinary Members of this House to ensure that justice is done and is served.

Today is a day for the O'Farrell family, to allow this apology given by the Minister to seep in and to understand it, and to understand Lucia what you have achieved. It is clear that in a mother's love for her son, an Irish mammy is certainly a formidable force in Ireland and a formidable force that should be listened to, but unfortunately you were not listened to. I ask you to consider what has been said by the Minister. As I listened to him today reading out all of the wrongs that were meted out to the investigation around Shane, I could not help but think that since 2011 to this date it was all denied. It was a vote against an inquiry. It was a weakness in the political system and a desire to protect thestatus quo. It was a desire to turn our back on the reform that was needed. We saw it played out here from one side of the House to the other and I regret that. I regret that we have not within us the drive to ensure that the reform so needed right across the State is put in place. Lucia and Jim O'Farrell and their children have brought all of this before us again today to remind us of the amount of work we still have to do and the amount of reform that still has to be put in place. No longer should whistleblowers, or anyone else who has a story to tell such as Lucia O'Farrell and her family's, be shunned. We should listen to them and give them the space they require to tell their story. That is what we are here for, to be prepared to act, to be prepared to change the system, to be prepared to change the party system and the status quo, and whatever else holds the wrongdoing together and away from scrutiny. Enough is enough.

Lucia and Jim, I hope that after today you take the time to understand what you have achieved, take the time to understand that you have brought justice for Shane and that you had someone like the Minister understanding the law who could present us with this apology today. Shane would like you to live your life. When you go to visit him this evening, you will have something very substantial to report. I have no doubt Lucia that he would like to see you and Jim and the girls catch up on the years that you have lost since 2011, live out your life and live it out in memory of Shane. You have left an everlasting impression on all of us in this House who were willing to listen and to act. Thank you.

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