Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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391. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department will continue to provide funding for the Justice for the Forgotten Group, when it expires in June 2015; if he will pay special attention to the long-standing issues, such as the lack of communication, in the process of the requests made to British authorities to release files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974. [19379/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The 41st anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings took place on Sunday, May 17th.The survivors of those terrible attacks, and the families of the victims, are now into the fifth decade of their search for answers. Commemorations took place last Saturday, 16th May, at which the Government was represented by Minister of State Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.I am conscious that anniversaries can be a particularly difficult time for families.

I welcome the continued all-party support for the campaign on behalf of the Dublin-Monaghan families. On Friday last, 15th May, I met with representatives of Justice for the Forgotten, which supports victims and survivors, including the Dublin and Monaghan families, to discuss how the Government can best support their efforts.In 2014, Justice for the Forgotten received a grant of €48,000 from my Department’s Reconciliation Fund to assist with its important work.

I understand that Justice for the Forgotten has applied for funding during the Reconciliation Fund’s current round of funding. All applications are currently under review and will be assessed according to criteria outlined in the Reconciliation Fund Strategy 2014-2017, which was launched in June 2014. The strategy outlines the priorities for the Reconciliation Fund, ensuring that it supports the Government’s vision of a reconciled Ireland and remains relevant, effective, and efficient in the coming years. It is anticipated that a decision will be reached in respect of all applications in June 2015, and that organisations will be informed of the outcome of their applications accordingly.

The Government fully supports the all-party Dáil motions of July 2008 and May 2011 urging the British Government to allow access by an independent international judicial figure to all original documents in their possession relating to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. I have raised this issue with the British Government on a number of occasions and have received assurances from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that the British Government would consider afresh how it can respond to the Dáil motions.