Oireachtas body backs criticisms in bomb report

An Oireachtas sub-committee has accused the British government of breaching the Belfast Agreement by refusing to co-operate with the Barron inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

In its report on the initial findings of Mr Justice Henry Barron, the Sub-Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights said "it seems impossible to reconcile the stance of the Northern Irish or British authorities" with a stipulation under the Belfast Agreement for all parties to address "the suffering of the victims of violence".

The sub-committee also criticised the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, whose argument against the release of official documents had been "totally undermined" by the evidence of Mr Seán Donlon, former secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Mr Murphy had defended the non-release of documents on the basis that it would require "a further major and time-consuming search". However, Mr Donlon told the sub-committee that the Northern Ireland authorities had already sifted and screened their papers in preparation for the release of official documents.

The sub-committee said it would also consider asking the Houses of the Oireachtas to specifically address the issue of the Barron report.

In addition, it recommended that the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, "consider extending the terms of reference of the order establishing a Commission of Investigation into the early termination of the Garda investigations and the missing Garda files in relation to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings".

Justice for the Forgotten, the group representing relatives of victims of the bombings, welcomed the sub-committee's findings, describing them as a "ringing endorsement" of its concerns.

Mr Greg O'Neill, solicitor for the group, said: "It is now clearly a matter for the Irish Government and for the Taoiseach to come out publicly and declare that a Taoiseach of this sovereign nation is going to vindicate the rights of the lives of those who were taken in 1972, 1973 and 1974, by moving every diplomatic process that is available to him, and by taking the proceedings which this committee has recommended."

Ms Bernie McNally, the group's chairwoman, said: "Enough time has been wasted over the years, and we just hope to see these recommendations implemented as soon as possible."

Ms Monica Duffy-Campbell, whose husband, Tom, was killed in a bomb attack in Dublin in December 1972, said she was pleased. "This is not what I thought it might be at the beginning - just [ something] to appease the families. I am really pleased that this is going to go on."

Speaking at the publication of the report, Senator Jim Walsh (FF), a member of the sub-committee, said the British government's "concealment and non-co-operation" sustained suspicions regarding collusion in the bombings.