Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, who is here today on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. This is a legacy issue from the Troubles. It relates to the scrutiny of an independent inquiry into victims of and deaths that occurred during the Troubles. It relates to at least 1,000 victims of the Troubles in the North and their families who are seeking justice in the form of an independent inquiry into the deaths. There are many victims, both living and dead, who have suffered as a result of the Troubles in the North of Ireland. Organisations such as the Pat Finucane Centre have done Trojan work in seeking justice. To date, despite the best efforts of the parties in the North prior to the dissolution of the Stormont Executive, it has not happened. A roadmap was paved through the Stormont House Agreement in 2014, which would have effectively set up an independent evaluation, conducting effective and prompt or reasonably prompt investigations to give justice to the families who lost loved ones. One of those who lost his wife is a constituent in Donegal, Mr. Max Mogollon, who is here in the Visitors Gallery today. He lost his wife in the 1990s as a result of security forces' collusion at the time. While that has since been proven, the substantial facts surrounding the case have never been independently, objectively evaluated, which is wrong. The British Government has an opportunity to accept the recommendation made by the Stormont Executive in December 2014. If it did that, it would allow for the roadmap of justice and peace to prevail and would ensure that the United Nations position on seeking human rights is upheld. The United Nations has ruled against the British Conservative Government on this particular issue because it continues to block the independent evaluation on the grounds that it presents a risk to national security. There are ways to mitigate any such risks.I encourage the members of the Government, particularly the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and also the Taoiseach, to engage with their British counterparts in order to raise these issues and put them firmly on the agenda. I have no doubt that in the context of the undercurrent of what is happening in the North regarding the elections, this played a significant role in the fall of the Stormont Executive. There is an undercurrent right across the North - these families have all been affected - and it is blocking the peaceful road to progress that we all want to seen taken. I do not know what will be the response from the Department of Foreign Affairs. I hope it will be a proactive one and one of engagement. Ultimately, however, it is a matter for the British Government to deal with this particular issue and try to bring some form of solace, peace, justice and equality to the families who have lost loved ones. This is not exclusively an issue for one side or the other, it affects both sides of the political divide in the North. We are not just talking about the deaths of nationalists, there were killings involving people on both sides. This matter affects all the families involved.