Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the passage of this Bill through its final Stages in the House today. As we have discussed before, one of the major elements of this Bill is to bring our legislation into line with the legislative regime in operation in the UK since 2013. That is particularly important in terms of the release of state papers. Aligning our release time lines will allow us to be given a much more in-depth understanding of the shared history we have with our nearest neighbours. While the obvious academic value is incredibly important, the release of these records is also important in the context of informing our future decisions.

I am a very strong believer in looking to the past and learning from it in guiding future decisions. I thank the Minister, Deputy Madigan, for steering this Bill through both Houses and commend her strongly on all of the work she has done and is doing since entering Cabinet.