Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the proposal of the Government in the Seanad. It is most important we allow the Smithwick tribunal to get on with the work it is doing, including the taking of evidence, when that is appropriate, and the examination of the new evidence.

The murders of Harry Breen and Robert Buchanan were very cowardly and were carried out, allegedly, on the basis of inside information. They were awful murders, but this was par for the course for an organisation which murdered a total of 656 members of the British forces, 621 civilians, 272 police officers, 35 loyalist terrorists, six gardaí, and a soldier, as well as a number of its own members.

The Weston Park talks were the catalyst for the setting up of the Smithwick tribunal. There were suggestions of collusion in a number of murders by the security forces on both sides of the Border. Following a review by Judge Cory, the Smithwick tribunal was set up in this jurisdiction to examine the murders of Harry Breen and Robert Buchanan.

Serious allegations were made in respect of the Garda Síochána and it is crucial that the Smithwick tribunal gets to the truth of this matter. One also must ask members of the Government to do more to press their colleagues in the British Government in respect of investigating the murder of Mr. Pat Finucane.

The Smithwick tribunal has been working for a number of years and the Minister has set out, both today and on a number of previous occasions, the reasons the judge has stated his work will take some time. The Oireachtas must give the judge the additional time. One hopes this will be the last extension but Members must be guided by the judge in respect of his needs and the needs of witnesses, balanced with the needs of the families of the murdered officers to get to the truth, as well as for the peace process to move forward. One must always bear in mind that this particular tribunal is an integral part of the peace process, which is still ongoing.

There would be no necessity to spend millions of euro on tribunals were those who were involved in those murders and their colleagues from the Sinn Féin Party, some of whom are Members of these Houses but who are absent today, to give information they have. While Sinn Féin will criticise other tribunals, its Members are not present today to discuss this tribunal, which relates directly to the work of an organisation with which they have been intimately connected over the decades. They should answer the questions and should give as much information as they have. They should answer the questions in respect of various despicable and cowardly murders that have taken place. They also should answer the questions in respect of the burial of bodies in my part of County Meath in Oristown, Coghalstown and Wilkinstown. Members of Sinn Féin, which provided political support for these murders over the years, must co-operate and give as much information as they have. It is shameful and cowardly that they are not present to discuss this motion which relates directly to their own colleagues.