Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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399. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 69 of 25 January 2017, if he has had further discussions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and with the British Foreign Secretary on the need for the British Government to respond positively and without further delay to the unanimous requests of Dáil Éireann to provide access to papers and files pertaining to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16589/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Dealing with long-outstanding issues relating to the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland are of the utmost importance to me as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and for the Government. The Programme for a Partnership Government highlights this commitment, making specific reference to pursuing the issue of the Dublin Monaghan bombings.

The All-Party motion on the 1974 Dublin Monaghan bombings adopted in this House on 25 May last year has, like those adopted in 2008 and 2011, been conveyed to the British Government. These motions call on the British Government to allow access by an independent, international judicial figure to all original documents relating to the bombings.

The Government is committed to actively pursuing the implementation of these all-Party Dáil motions, and has consistently raised the issue with the British Government. The Taoiseach has raised the issue with Prime Minister May, emphasising the Government’s continued support for the Dáil motions. I have also raised the matter on a number of occasions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, and am actively engaging with the British Government on an ongoing basis, as are my officials.

In our discussions, I have advised Secretary of State Brokenshire that the Dáil motions represent the consensus political view in Ireland that an independent, international judicial review of all the relevant documents is required to establish the full facts of the Dublin Monaghan atrocities. I have also underlined to the Secretary of State that the absence of a response from the British Government is of deep concern to the Government and indeed this House, and emphasised the urgent need for a response from the British Government.

Secretary of State Brokenshire has acknowledged the importance that the Government and Dáil Éireann attach to this case, but indicated that the British Government is still considering how it could respond in a way which would adequately address the motions and be consistent with its obligations.

The Government will continue to pursue this matter with the British Government, urging it to provide a satisfactory response to the motions that have been adopted by this House. The Taoiseach and I will also continue our engagement with party leaders in the Oireachtas on the issue.

There are many families throughout these islands and beyond who continue to deal not only with the awful pain of losing a loved one, but also with the struggle for answers decades after these traumatic events. Accordingly, the establishment of a new comprehensive framework for dealing with the past, as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement, is a priority for the Government.

There has been intensive engagement on legacy issues as part of the discussions currently underway in Belfast. There remain a number of outstanding points, but I am very conscious of the urgent need to achieve progress, so that the institutions can be established and start working to meet the needs of victims and survivors and support broader societal healing and reconciliation. The Government will continue to work with the British Government and the parties to achieve the establishment of these legacy institutions as soon as possible.