Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his engagement with the British government on issues relating to the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48177/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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This year marked the 48th anniversary of the appalling attacks of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in which 33 people were murdered, the largest loss of life on a single day in the Troubles.

Together with the families of those killed and injured, the Taoiseach attended a ceremony in Talbot St this year to remember those that lost their lives in those attacks. The Taoiseach assured those families that the implementation of the All-Party Dáil motions relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings continues to be a priority for the Government, as highlighted in the Programme for a Partnership Government.

The All-Party motion on the 1974 Dublin Monaghan bombings adopted by the Dáil on 25 May 2016 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 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, as well as the Dublin bombings of 1972 and 1973, the bombing of Kay’s Tavern in Dundalk and the murder of Seamus Ludlow.

The Government is committed to actively pursuing the implementation of these all-Party Dáil motions, . consistently raising the issue with the British government, most recently at the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference, on 23 March when I emphasised that there remains an urgent need for a considered response from the British authorities.

The Government will continue to engage with the British government to pursue all possible avenues to achieve progress on this issue, consistent with the request made by this House and until a resolution is found.