merrion street

I thank Deputy Smith for raising this issue – I am very aware of his long-standing interest in it.

Over the course of the conflict in Northern Ireland a number of people were murdered and buried secretly by paramilitary organisations, mainly the Provisional IRA. They have become known as the Disappeared. This was a brutal practice, not alone the commission of kidnap and murder, but the further, profound injustice inflicted on the families of the people who were killed.

Those families, whose raw grief was once again highlighted in last night’s television documentary, have had a peculiarly cruel tragedy visited on them, having not only lost their loved ones to murder, but for many decades not even knowing of their fate and having had no graveside at which to grieve.

I have met with the victims’ families and I pay tribute to their dignity and fortitude in the face of their suffering. Once again, I extend my deepest sympathy to them on their loss and assure them of my continuing support for their efforts to recover their loved ones. The Taoiseach also met with the families, in July, and he also assured them of the Government’s continued support for them and its commitment to this humanitarian process.

Those who were involved in these callous acts of ‘disappearance’ should be keenly conscious of the abhorrent nature of what they have done. They should also feel the strongest moral obligation to do all they can now to try to right the wrong that was done to the victims and their families.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) was established in 1999 by the Irish and British Governments and it will continue to be supported by the Governments. It was one of a key set of actions aimed at addressing the suffering of the victims of violence as a necessary element of reconciliation.

The work of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains is not involved in making moral judgments of those who ordered or participated in such appallingly brutal acts. It is responsible for facilitating the location of the remains of the Disappeared and its sole objective is to return the remains of the victims to their families in order that they can receive a decent burial and that the families will then have a grave at which to grieve and to remember. In this way the families may, in some measure at least, achieve resolution or closure in regard to the deaths of their loved ones.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains has had co-operation from many sources, including from many in the organisations responsible, over the course of its work in locating the victims’ remains. However, as there are still seven victims on the Commission’s list whose remains have not yet been found, we have to constantly see if more can be done.

The Commission needs further information to be able to progress its investigations – this is the only resource that is missing. I would appeal, therefore, to anybody, anywhere who has information that might assist the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains to provide that information, in confidence, so that it can be acted on.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains operates a confidential phone line and PO Box and details can be found on its website iclvr.ie. Nobody has anything to fear by providing information. Information provided to the Commission is guaranteed the strictest confidence and can only be used for the purpose of locating and recovering the victims’ remains.

The families have endured for long enough. Although some of them have had the remains of their loved ones returned to them, there are others who still wait and who still suffer to this very day. There can be absolutely no excuse for those who have information to withhold it. In common, human decency they should provide that information without delay.