Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the meetings proposed to be held in the immediate future with the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive parties on the implementation of some provisions of the Stormont House Agreement not included in the agreement, A Fresh Start, such as those dealing with the legacy of the past and the putting in place of appropriate supports for survivors and victims' families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45606/15]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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For Northern Ireland truly to progress and move forward mechanisms need to be put in place to deal with the legacy of the past. Victims and survivors, be they of atrocities committed in the North or the South, have a basic entitlement to the truth. Anger, frustration and disappointment are the responses of survivors and victims' families to the agreement, A Fresh Start. I would appreciate it if the Minister outlined the proposals he has to try to advance and make progress on these critical issues.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Notwithstanding the clear gains achieved by the agreement, A Fresh Start, I very much regret that it did not include agreement on the implementation of provisions of the Stormont House Agreement dealing with the legacy of the past. We share the deep disappointment of the victims and survivors of the Troubles and their families in this respect. I am particularly disappointed because real progress was made during the talks on many of the details for the establishment of the new institutional framework for dealing with the legacy of the past as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement. We were, in fact, very close to agreement on a range of issues, including ensuring the operational independence of the historical investigations unit; guaranteeing the anonymity and inadmissibility of information provided for the independent commission for information retrieval, ICIR, while making clear that there would be no amnesty for criminal offences; placing the implementation and reconciliation group on a statutory footing and settling on the purpose and functions of the group; and defining the operation of the oral history archive. The Irish and British Governments have also agreed the international agreement necessary for the establishment of the ICIR. Therefore, many of the building blocks are in place for the establishment of the new legacy institutions.

The crucial issue on which agreement could not be found was striking the right balance between the onward disclosure needs of families and the national security requirements being sought by the British Government. In the absence of agreement on this key issue, my expressed preference during the talks was to reflect in the agreement, A Fresh Start, the range of legacy issues on which agreement was possible, while also frankly acknowledging the areas of disagreement where further progress was required.

It is important that we find a way forward that banks the good progress already achieved during the talks on legacy issues and secures a solution to outstanding matters, including the key issue of onward disclosure and national security. In this regard, I met Northern Ireland's victims commissioner on 26 November to discuss the concerns of victims and possible ways to take the issue forward in a way that would satisfy these concerns. I also met the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, Mr. David Ford, MLA, on 11 December to discuss possible next steps and I will meet the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Ms Theresa Villiers, MP, later this month to explore options for how best to secure an agreed basis for the establishment of the new legacy institutions.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I am sure he will agree that the necessary mechanisms to get the facts must be put in place. Thorough and unimpeded investigations are needed and no Government, State agency or political grouping can be allowed to continue to block a truth process. It is not acceptable that the British Government is exercising a veto, citing national security concerns, on these issues. Will the Minister inform us whether he has had an opportunity to have discussions with representative groups which advocate on behalf of victims, victims' families and survivors? In the current period of disappointment for these groups it is necessary to have the maximum level of dialogue with them to assure them their concerns and issues will not be put on the backburner, that they will be given the urgent consideration needed and an assurance that progress will be made in dealing with these long-standing issues.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I confirm and reassure the House that the Irish Government has a long track record of defending and promoting the rights of victims and survivors. Records show that successive Irish Governments have rigorously and vociferously pursued justice and truth for those affected by the Troubles, in Strasbourg through the European Court of Human Rights and bilaterally on all occasions with the British Government. I agree with the Deputy. These issues are most sensitive and important. I had the opportunity to have a lengthy engagement with the victims commissioner since reaching agreement on A Fresh Start. I confirm that I am available on all occasions and at all times to meet representative groups and I have done so during the course of my time as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. I can state on behalf of the Taoiseach that he is also firmly engaged on these issues and has met many of the groups involved. As we take the issues forward, it will be important that the process offer a credible prospect of success for victims and survivors because I do not believe they can be disappointed again. In so far as these issues are concerned, I assure the Deputy that I am very much engaged on them and will continue to be so.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I raised issues in our previous discussion on Northern Ireland a week or more ago. Does the Minister agree that we need to deal with them with the utmost urgency? We do not want the atmosphere to be poisoned even more and people to continue to be disappointed. Does the Minister have in mind a timeframe in which he could envisage some progress being made on these issues? We should all be conscious that we are moving into electoral cycles in the North and the South and we know that this atmosphere does not help in moving sensitive and perhaps difficult political issues forward. I appeal to the Minister to continue to attach the utmost urgency to these issues. He mentioned meeting representative groups. Justice for the Forgotten which has been advocating on behalf of victims and survivors of many atrocities committed in the North and the South would value another meeting on what happened in Dublin, Monaghan, Belturbet and other atrocities committed in the North and the South. I hope the Minister will accede to the request for a meeting with the group at an early date.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I wil be happy to pursue the issue raised by the Deputy.

I assure the House that the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, and I are actively engaged in this matter. Notwithstanding the fact that the intensive round-table talks have been concluded in a positive way by agreeing the fresh start agreement, there will always be issues of concern in terms of North-South relations, Northern Ireland and, in particular, victims and survivors. I look forward to having some important meetings as early as next week.