James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I support the spirit of the motion and join with Senator Cummins and others in praising the work of Mr. Justice Morris, which has led to explicit and straightforward reports. It is now incumbent on Government to oversee the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the Morris tribunal. Further fudging and procrastination will not be tolerated by this House or by the citizens of this country.

While supporting the motion, I would like to query why these issues were not dealt with in the Garda Síochána Bill 2004. Why does the Government not see the connection and interrelations that are apparent to the rest of us? Why is the Government sitting on the numerous reports into the extraordinary events in County Donegal? What of the Carty report? The Government plans to release it into the public arena next September but why is there a delay? This is the question asked by the people of County Longford. The report was completed in the past few months. In the interests of accountability, it must be published sooner rather than later. It has been five years since John Carthy was shot dead by Garda marksmen at Abbeylara in County Longford and it is strange that the Government refuses to publish the report if it has been completed.

The now familiar Superintendent Shelly of Mullingar station was in charge at the time. What did he get out of this? He got a full retirement pension and no questions asked of him. If he was asked, the answers were brushed under the carpet. This occurred despite the accusations of alleged bullying made by other gardaí against him. I ask the Minister of State what he has to say to Marie Carthy and what explanation does he have for her for such an unprecedented and inexplicable delay in answering her questions about what happened to her brother. She would like an explanation, as would the people of County Longford and I.

What of the McBrearty family fiasco? The family members' request for an independent inquiry into their nightmare situation was ignored by the Government for several years. Trails of whitewash had to be laid, influential names cleared and people protected, never mind clearing the good name of the McBreartys. This request by a family that was wronged could hardly be said to be unreasonable and it is my belief that there has been a definite apathy in the State's response to wrongdoing.

During the past number of years, questions abounded among the community about what happened. It is now reassuring that, through the Morris tribunal report, some of these questions will be answered, though a bit late. The Government and the various Ministers with responsibility for justice have not come out of the wash particularly well. The Government must now do its utmost to ensure that such situations are never allowed to recur.