Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State. Mr. Donaldson was an Irish citizen but there are different standards for Irish citizens in the two jurisdictions on this island. An inquest into anyone killed in the North - in circumstances where state agencies may have direct or indirect knowledge or involvement - must be compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This is not merely the whim of the British Government or that of the Assembly of the Six Counties, it is a requirement of the European Court of Human Rights. The inquest system in the Twenty-Six Counties is not compliant with Article 2. Under the system in the Six Counties, state agencies are compelled to bring forward information and senior serving and former members of the police and other state agencies are obliged to co-operate with inquests. The cross-jurisdictional issues to which I refer arise in the case of Denis Donaldson. Many other Irish citizens have been affected by these issues and there is a need for cross-Border co-operation so that they might be resolved.