Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am fully aware of that. Kerry is a big county. I listened very carefully to "Prime Time" last night and to the journalists who wrote the book about that particular incident. The Garda Síochána has a lot of questions to answer about not dealing with this situation in the 1990s. DNA and DNA profiling was available in the 1990s. Mr. Gerard Colleran was quite right in what he said last night in that the gardaí have serious questions to answer as to why they did not deal with this particular case in the 1990s.

It is absolutely appropriate that the Garda Síochána apologised to Ms Joanne Hayes. It was also appropriate that the Taoiseach apologised to Ms Joanne Hayes from Strasbourg today. I have no doubt that in the fullness of time, an appropriate State apology will be delivered in Dáil Éireann on behalf of the State by the Taoiseach. It is the appropriate thing to do.

I also noted the Taoiseach's comments that in due course the State will engage with Ms Joanne Hayes's representatives as regards compensation. I believe the Garda has not answered the questions in full. An answer and an explanation is required to the very pertinent questions that Mr. Gerard Colleran asked on "Prime Time" as to why this did not happen in the 1990s, even though the Garda had been asked ad nauseamto reopen the case and to use modern science, such as DNA profiling. Why was it not done in the 1990s? I would like an answer to that. The people of Ireland deserve an answer.