Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With all due respect, and this is not directed personally at the Minister of State, the families have had enough of sympathy from Ministers. They have had enough of the tea and sympathy from Ministers for Justice. What they want is a human rights compliant inquest. While the Minister of State said that the provisions of the Juries Act expressly do not apply to coroners' inquests, section 31 of the Act could be amended specifically to allow for it to apply to the Stardust inquest. That was the case with legal aid as a regulation was changed to be specific to the Stardust inquest. To even suggest that there would be no jury for the largest and most significant inquest in the history of the State, to say to the families that they have to go into a system akin to the Special Criminal Court and not have their case, their facts or their findings heard by a jury of their peers, is an insult. I do not mean any disrespect to the Minister of State, who has come here to take this matter, but the families have had enough of this treatment by the State.