Written answers

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Department of Foreign Affairs

Northern Ireland Issues

10:00 am

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support the call from the relatives of 11 unarmed civilians killed in Ballymurphy, Belfast, over three days in August 1971, by the same British Army regiment that committed the Bloody Sunday atrocity in Derry just a few months later, for an independent and international inquiry; and if he will press the British government to accede to and co-operate with this demand. [29689/10]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government remains in close and regular contact with the British Government about the range of ongoing issues which are the legacy of the Troubles.

On 13 May, I visited Ballymurphy where the relatives of the eleven innocent people killed there between the 9 and 11 August 1971 took to the locations in the area at which their loved ones were killed. My visit was at the invitation of the families as agreed at my earlier meeting with them in January 2009. On both occasions, the relatives told me of their demand for an international, independent investigation, a demand I undertook to relay to the British Government. The families made similar views known to my colleague, Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice & law reform, when they met with him in November 2008. My officials are in ongoing contact with the families and their representatives.

I have raised the relatives' case directly with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, as I also did with his predecessor, Shaun Woodward. With both of them, I reiterated the Government's strong support for the Ballymurphy families. I understand that, since we last spoke on the matter, Secretary of State Paterson has confirmed his intention to meet with representatives of the families in the coming weeks.

As the Deputy is aware, the Ballymurphy families are not alone in seeking answers and justice for loved ones lost during the Troubles. Lord Saville's report into the events of Bloody Sunday, published last month, provided welcome relief and vindication for the families of those killed and injured on that dreadful day. Its success in doing so has, naturally, raised the question of how the needs of other victims might best be addressed.

This Government has consistently maintained that there should be no hierarchy of victims. Just as families in Ballymurphy are looking for information about how their loved ones were killed, there are families across the North and, indeed, in this jurisdiction, who lost loved ones in the many other atrocities of the conflict who are anxious to find out more about how their loved ones were killed. The challenge that political leaders in these islands face is finding a way for all of those people to get the answers they need.

Dealing with the terrible legacy of the conflict in the North will not be a single or a simple task. How to address this is a significant challenge for all those with a stakeholding in building a better, shared future, including political leaders.

Last year we saw the report of the Consultative Group on the Past presented to the Secretary of State. Its recommendations were wide ranging and have been much studied and commented on in the months since. The debate which that report provoked was a clear sign that dealing with the legacy of the Troubles will not be an easy task but it is one that is vital. The British Government has not yet responded to the formal consultation on Eames Bradley and I understand, following on from publication of the Saville report, the Secretary of State is intending to consult further on this whole question.

Last week, the Commission for Victims and Survivors presented a paper to the Secretary of State and to the First and deputy First Ministers on dealing with the past. I look forward to meeting with the Commissioners tomorrow to hear from them about their proposals.

As the Deputy himself said in this House last week during the debate on the Saville report "We remember all the victims of the conflict without exception and sympathise with all the bereaved." I fully agree. It is for all those victims and their relatives that we must continue to work with the British Government and with the Executive to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.

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