Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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154. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if it is proposed to take any new initiatives to support the very important and difficult work of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, as it is essential that every effort is made and public support given to assist in the recovery of the bodies of the disappeared; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38916/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) was established by the Irish and British Governments in 1999 as one among the actions taken to acknowledge and address the suffering of the victims of violence as a necessary element of reconciliation in the context of the Peace Process. The task of the ICLVR is to facilitate the location of the remains of a number of people who were killed and buried secretly by paramilitary organisations during the troubles. They have become known as the Disappeared.

The families of the Disappeared have had to face a very particular tragedy in not only having lost a loved one, but having been denied for so long information about the burial places of their loved ones.

With the support of the two Governments, the ICLVR has worked and continues to work tirelessly in pursuit of its task. Its only aim is to locate the victims' remains in order that they may be returned to their families to receive a decent burial. In this way the families will then have a grave at which to grieve and to remember.

Twelve of the victims on the ICLVR's list of the disappeared have been located, the most recent being Séamus Wright and Kevin McKee, whose remains were found by the ICLVR last June in Co. Meath. The ICLVR is continuing its inquiries in relation to the remaining four cases – Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, Robert Nairac and Seamus Ruddy – and I can assure the families of my and the Government's continued full support for this ongoing humanitarian work.

I want to assure the Deputy that the ICLVR's investigation team has the resources it requires to conduct its work. It employs a wide range of techniques in this regard and, indeed, is considered a world leader in the field. However, as the Deputy will know the ICLVR's work is fundamentally driven by information, and this is the key resource for their efforts.

I would encourage anyone with information that could help to locate those still missing to give that information to the ICLVR without delay – contact details are on the ICLVR's website www.iclvr.ie. 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.