David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I welcome the Minister to the House. During the most recent phase of the conflict, more than 3,500 people died. Thankfully, the armed conflict has ended but the conflict resolution process continues. That process presents many challenges to all of us, especially those who were party to the conflict. Our political leaders, and all of us, must rise to the challenges the conflict resolution process still entails.

Many families are still grieving and seeking answers regarding the deaths of their loved ones. All families deserve the truth and Sinn Féin fully supports their quest for truth. Sinn Féin has consistently supported the Saville inquiry into Bloody Sunday and the inquiry into the murder of Rosemary Nelson. Sinn Féin also gives ongoing support to the family of the murdered solicitor, Pat Finucane, and the families of the victims of the Ballymurphy and Springhill massacres.

In 2008, Sinn Féin supported the unanimous request of the Oireachtas to allow independent international access to all original documents held by the British Government relating to attacks that had resulted in fatalities in this State as a consequence of collusion between unionist and loyalist paramilitaries and the British State. Last month, as Members will be aware, Sinn Féin published a Private Members' Bill dealing with the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. We called on the British Government to release the important files relating to those bombings. I know the Taoiseach has called on the Prime Minister to release those files, but he has refused to do so. These are legacy issues that we must deal with. It is widely believed that this attack, which involved the greatest loss of life of any incident in the conflict, was carried out with the involvement of British intelligence. One of the bombs exploded near to where we are standing today.

Sinn Féin proposed the establishment of an independent international truth recovery process to be convened under the auspices of a credible international third party. We put forward the option of the United Nations. Any process convened along those lines should be victim centred. We need to make sure that the families of those victims, on all sides, get the truth they deserve. Those who were killed, on all sides, deserve the truth. The Oireachtas established the Smithwick tribunal of inquiry into the alleged collusion of a member or members of An Garda Síochána in the killing in 1989 of senior RUC officers Harry Breen and Robert Buchanan. As Sinn Féin has stated previously in the Dáil, anyone who has any relevant information should come forward to assist this tribunal of inquiry, and it is important that this call be made here again today.

I do not have any difficulty with the Government seeking an interim report from the tribunal. However, it is a mistake for the Government to look for a final report by 30 November as this will feed the conspiracy theories that the Government and the Garda have something to hide, and the Minister should be mindful of this. There are arguments over costs which, when families are seeking truth, are petty and irresponsible. We need to make sure that all of those families get the closure they want.

The British Government obviously has a responsibility in regard to collusion and truth, and the Irish Government has a constitutional, legal and moral responsibility to actively promote and encourage this course of action. We all have responsibilities. In recent weeks and months, there has been much talk of moving on and all of us collectively want to move on. I am a strong supporter of the peace process and of the conflict resolution process. However, for people to move on, especially victims and their families, they need justice and they need the truth. All of us collectively must rise to those challenges to make sure those families get the truth they deserve.