Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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122. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the recent Amnesty eport in relation to the victims of violence in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38807/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I welcome the timely report by Amnesty International entitled “Northern Ireland: Time to deal with the past” and will give it my full consideration. I visited Belfast in August and it is clear from my extensive consultations there and elsewhere that the past is having a corrosive effect on political life and on community relations throughout Northern Ireland. The current All-Party talks under the chairmanship of Richard Haass present an opportunity to build positive momentum towards finding the right mechanisms to deal with the past. Amnesty International’s report is a welcome contribution by civil society to these efforts.