Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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A commemoration ceremony took place on 17 May on Talbot Street to mark the deaths in 1974 of 27 people in Dublin and seven people in Monaghan in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. It was organised by Justice for the Forgotten and it is the commemorative symbol for all those who have died in the Troubles south of the Border. Justice for the Forgotten is the group that has drawn the relatives together. There were representatives at the commemoration from Northern Ireland, most counties in Ireland and from Scotland and all had relatives who tragically died in those bombings, and in other bombings in 1972, 1973 and at other times.

It transpires that Justice for the Forgotten will have to close its doors at the end of June unless it can source funding because the Government has indicated to the group that it no longer intends to provide funding. It has been refused and the group is not in a position to carry on, even in the short term, unless some source of funding is available. This is a serious matter.

Under the Good Friday Agreement, I believe there is a legal obligation on the Government to provide funding to the group, because it is the recognised body and the only dedicated one in the Republic of Ireland dealing with the Troubles here. Under the Good Friday Agreement, there is recognition for supporting organisations for the victims of the Troubles in the North, so both sections of the island are covered. While funding is retained and adequate in Northern Ireland for the organisations that are working with the relatives and the victims of the Troubles there, it seems as though the carpet will be pulled from under the only organisation in the Republic of Ireland. That is a disproportionate response to the situation and I believe the Government is in breach of the Good Friday Agreement in that respect.

Justice for the Forgotten deals with the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, but also with other events such as the film centre bombing, the Miami band bombing, the Dublin Airport bombing, the Dundalk bombing and the Castleblayney bombing, as well as various shootings that took place in the Border area. There are also many people who suffered atrocities but who have since moved into this jurisdiction and receive a service from the group. Justice for the Forgotten carries out a very large operation. It provides a service to all and sundry, irrespective of their background and the position they might have taken on the political situation of the day.

In June 2009, I asked what was going on in respect of all this and I was told by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that his priority was to ensure that the long-term expenses of the survivors of incidents in this jurisdiction would be met. That focus is far too narrow because we are not talking about expenses, but rather a support service and a counselling service provided by the group. A previous Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, former Deputy Michael McDowell, stated that €9 million was earmarked to be made available for the Remembrance Commission. I would be obliged if the Minister can tell me if there is still some balance in that fund. If there is, then it should be made available.

I know of the work that has been undertaken by Justice for the Forgotten. I know of the contribution it has made to the various reports that have come before these Houses. I know of the work that is done on the ground on a daily basis. It would not just be a shame, but also very damaging to many people if funding for the group was taken away. I urge the Minister to meet with the group's representatives directly and see if a position can be negotiated so that some funding can be put in place and the work can then continue.

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I am replying to this matter this evening on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I thank Deputy Costello for raising it.

The Government is mindful of the great pain and suffering caused to people, both North and South, during the period of conflict in Northern Ireland. We are all particularly conscious of the burden that has been borne by the survivors and the families of the victims of so many brutal attacks, including the bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974, which are always in our minds at this time of the year. The Minister recognises fully the good work that has been undertaken by Justice for the Forgotten in the past, particularly its contribution to the Barron inquiry.

The Good Friday Agreement acknowledged the need to address the suffering of victims and recognised their right to remember that suffering. Arising from the Good Friday Agreement, the Government established the victims commission in 1998, under former Tánaiste John Wilson, to conduct a review of the services and arrangements in place in this jurisdiction to meet the needs of those who had suffered as a result of the conflict in Northern Ireland.

The report of the victims commission, A Place and a Name,made a number of recommendations, including the provision of acknowledgement and other payments to victims and their families. The Remembrance Commission was established to oversee the disbursement of such payments under the terms of the scheme of acknowledgement, remembrance and assistance for victims in this jurisdiction of the conflict in Northern Ireland.

The scheme of acknowledgement also provided for the allocation of funding to victim support groups in respect of the provision of counselling services. Under this element of the scheme, payments were made to Justice for the Forgotten for the purpose of meeting the counselling and other needs of victims or the family members of victims, and the Minister has asked me to pay tribute to their great work in this area. The funding of these services was made in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement and the Minister does not accept the assertions that have been made that somehow the Government has reneged on its commitments in this regard.

During the period of operation of the scheme of acknowledgement, Justice for the Forgotten received €1.2 million out of the total of €1.5 million allocated for victim support services, and it was the only recipient of money under this heading. In addition, the organisation received over €890,000 from the Department of the Taoiseach between 2000 and 2003.

The term of appointment of the remembrance commission, originally set at three years, was extended for a further two years and came to an end in 2008. The funding which was previously provided under the terms of the scheme of acknowledgement was, therefore, no longer available. However, following the end of the remembrance commission's term of appointment, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform made further moneys available to Justice for the Forgotten in order to enable it to seek to put in place alternative sources of funding. In these very difficult financial times, some hard decisions have had to be made. The priority of the Minister for Justice and Law Reform, as he has stated, must be ensuring that the ongoing medical expenses of victims in this jurisdiction of the conflict in Northern Ireland continue to be provided for. Any available funding must be directed to that and, to this end, the Minister has made arrangements for these costs to be looked after through the victims of crime office of his Department.