Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has found that significant and sensitive information about the activities of loyalist paramilitaries between 1988 and 1994 was withheld by the Police Service of Northern Ireland from the investigators of the ombudsman; his views on this development; if he has raised this matter with the British Government; and if he will meet the families and victims of the Irish citizens killed in the cases that the ombudsman was investigating. [9758/19]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I tabled this question when it emerged that the PSNI withheld significant and sensitive information about the activities of loyalist death squads between 1988 and 1994 from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland who was compiling a report on more than 20 loyalist murders. Does the Tánaiste share my concerns at this development? Has he raised his concerns with the British Government? I am conscious that this morning the Finucane family is-----

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat. I call the Tánaiste.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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-----in the British Supreme Court. Will he urgently meet the families?

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste has two minutes.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The Government is very concerned by the announcement by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland on 14 February of the receipt of significant new material from the PSNI.

The ombudsman has indicated that the discovery of the new material will delay the publication of his report into events connected to the actions of loyalist paramilitaries in the north west between 1988 and 1994.

My thoughts are first and foremost with all the families affected, including the family of Councillor Eddie Fullerton who was brutally murdered by the UDA in Buncrana in 1991, the five families who lost loved ones in the Ormeau Road attack in 1992 and the family of a teenager, Damien Walsh, who was murdered in west Belfast in 1993.

This is a most anxious and difficult time for each family affected as they now have to wait even longer for the report of the ombudsman into their cases. I have directed my officials to meet the affected families in the first instance. I also raised this matter with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, when I spoke to her yesterday.

It is important now to allow the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Michael Maguire, the necessary space to complete the investigation, taking account of the new material uncovered.

In addition, in response to the request of the ombudsman that an independent review be carried out into the methods used for disclosure of information to his office, the Northern Ireland Department of Justice announced on 19 February that it had requested Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland to undertake an independent review into the methods the PSNI uses to disclose information in respect of historical cases to the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. The chief inspector of Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, Brendan McGuigan, has confirmed that the review will be prioritised and that its report should be completed in six weeks. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland is an independent statutory inspectorate with responsibility for inspecting all aspects of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland apart from the Judiciary.

The Government will keep this matter under very close review in the period ahead.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

This development makes clear once again that the Stormont House Agreement framework is urgently needed in order to provide a comprehensive process for addressing legacy investigations and issues in Northern Ireland, focused on the needs of victims and survivors. The Government will continue to engage with the British Government and the political parties in Northern Ireland to seek the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement framework as soon as possible.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Crowe has one minute.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Eddie Fullerton was a friend of mine and I know his family. I know they have been informed that the ombudsman's report will be delayed.

It is important to use clear and precise language. There was some suggestion that the PSNI had discovered new information. That is incorrect; it had this information and it is not new. Crucially it was withheld form the ombudsman's office. The ombudsman released a statement stating that the police did not disclose sensitive information. He did not release one stating that the police found new information. There is a significant difference here and it undermines the role of the PSNI in this.

The information directly impacts not only on those who were killed in the Ormeau Road bookies but also in several other related killings in south Belfast and 19 other UDA sectarian murders in south Derry and north Antrim in the early 1980s. I do not think it is an isolated incident of withholding information and the concern is that it undermines confidence in the PSNI.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Part of the peace process-----

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste to respond.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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-----was to have a new beginning in policing, but also to have justice system that people could look to.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste to respond.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Unfortunately that is not the case.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Please-----

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Cases like this undermine the entire basis of the justice system. Again it is about what we can do.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Everybody nods their head in approval and nobody agrees. I call the Tánaiste.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will try to this time.

This development makes clear once again that the Stormont House Agreement framework is urgently needed in order to provide a comprehensive process for addressing legacy investigations and issues in Northern Ireland, focused on the needs of victims and survivors. It is important that we all work to ensure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland has the trust of both communities. Clearly this issue is challenging in that regard. That is why it is important that the independent review that is taking place happens quickly and that families are reassured. I am happy to ensure that officials from my office meet the families to listen to their concerns. We need to ensure we work together, as political parties North and South, to ensure there is belief and trust in the policing system in Northern Ireland. Without that a whole series of new and very difficult challenges will emerge.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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There is clearly a systemic problem with disclosure concerning state killings, particularly where collusion is a feature and that is a difficulty. Successive British Prime Ministers have talked about a different narrative about the conflict in the North, but clearly this is a difficulty. The weapons used in this were brought in from South Africa as we know. Many of the killers were British operatives. They were trained, given information and sent out to kill. That needs to be dealt with by the British state. We need to support these families. Those families were waiting for many years with delay after delay. Withholding sensitive information such as this undermines the justice system. We may need to look at different ways of dealing with this. Clearly this has undermined the PSNI and the justice system.

The British Government needs to wake up to the fact that people, in particular these families, are losing patience.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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That is why we have an Ombudsman who has made an issue of trying to ensure that accurate information is made available to families. It is also why we must ensure that the independence of the review is robust in terms of how information is brought forward and made available to the PSNI. The core issue is the credibility of the response that is undertaken. We must work with the families to reassure them that the PSNI shows the necessary leadership in response, which I believe it wants to do, and ensures they get to the truth so that we can move forward with confidence in the PSNI, something that is important for policing in Northern Ireland.