Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will ensure that adequate resources are provided to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, in view of the very important and difficult work that the commission undertakes. [26803/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Irish and British Governments established the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) in 1999 as a means to facilitate the location of the remains of a number of people who were killed and buried secretly by paramilitary organisations during the troubles. This group of victims has become known as the Disappeared.

The families of the Disappeared have had to face a very cruel fate over many years, not only having lost a loved one, but having been denied for so long information regarding the burial places of their loved ones.

With the support of the two Governments, the ICLVR has worked tirelessly over the past 16 years in pursuit of a solely humanitarian objective - to locate the victims’ remains in order that they may be returned to their families to receive a decent burial and that the families would then have a grave at which to grieve and to remember.

As the Deputy will know, in the course of its ongoing work the ICLVR uncovered the remains of two persons at a site in Co. Meath last week. The discovery was made at a location where a search for the remains of Joe Lynskey was being carried out. This location is also where it is believed the remains of Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee may be buried. While a positive identification of the remains found will take some weeks to complete, it is to be hoped that the suffering of the families of some of those who were disappeared will now be eased.

While the remains of a number of the Disappeared have been recovered, there are still victims whose remains have yet to be located. The ICLVR is continuing its work in relation to these cases and I can assure the families of my and the Government's full support for this ongoing humanitarian work.

I know the Deputy will join with me in encouraging anyone with information that could help to locate those still missing to give that information to the ICLVR without delay. I would emphasise that all information provided to the ICLVR is treated as strictly confidential and, by law, can only be used to locate and identify the remains of victims. The Government remains strongly committed to the aim of locating these victims and returning their remains to their families. I call on all others to help to bring it about.