Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am somewhat disappointed the Minister, Deputy McEntee, was not in a position to attend the debate this morning, bearing in mind it is the 50th anniversary. I appreciate she is busy, however. I appreciate the Minister of State taking time out of his schedule to be here to take this Commencement matter.

On Friday this week, President Michael D. Higgins will visit Monaghan town to lay a wreath to commemorate the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, some 50 years ago. Some 33 people lost their lives in Monaghan and Dublin on that fatal day. It was the greatest loss of life in a single day during the Troubles. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families and victims this week. It is said that to be forgotten is to die twice and we can only imagine the pain and the grief the families continue to endure. Pain that is compounded by the absence - for five decades - of the truth of what actually happened on 17 May 1974. I pay tribute to all those who worked down through the years to try to lift the lid on this mystery. I pay particular credit to Justice for the Forgotten, among others, and the tireless work it has done down through the years.

We gather here in this Chamber and in the Dáil each year to discuss progress for the victims, survivors and their families. Unfortunately, each year, we have little new to report because of the British Government's blockage of co-operation on this particular issue. However, this week we have heard that Ian Livingstone, the former senior police officer responsible for investigating the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings has said he has received access to never before seen top-secret material. Mr. Livingstone is leading a number of historic investigations into the Troubles, including Operation Denton, an investigation into a loyalist Glenanne gang, which has been blamed for approximately 120 sectarian murders in the 1970s and 1980s and is indeed suspected of carrying out the no-warning Dublin and Monaghan bombings.Previous investigations have been stymied by the British Government's refusal to release key intelligence documents. However, Mr. Livingstone has said the information he has now obtained will give us "as detailed a picture as would be possible to get" and that the investigation has "seen everything that exists up to and including top secret cabinet meetings of the British government". He has said the investigation has "seen all information that's there to allow us make a full report on the circumstances around the Glennane series". I also understand that An Garda Síochána has handed over documents pertaining to Operation Denton, including intelligence files. I look forward to the release of that report later this year.

When we get both reports, where will that leave us? Will the Minister of State give us an update on the Irish Government's understanding of the status of those two reports? Will he illustrate what the pathway will be following the publication of those reports? Will he assure us everything will be done to ensure the victims and their families will finally get closure regarding what happened to them and their families on 17 May 1974? I pay tribute to all those volunteers, including the fire service and Civil Defence, who went to the aid of those in Monaghan in the immediate aftermath of that bombing. Next Friday will be an horrific and very emotional day in Monaghan. If possible, I would like the Minister of State to outline the status of those two reports, the timeframes for their publication and, more importantly, what the Irish and British Governments intend to do to finally bring closure to the people of Monaghan and Dublin.