No details provided of Taoiseach raising Belturbet bomb with British

The Office of An Taoiseach has suggested that it's the ministers for justice and foreign affairs who are now taking the lead in pressuring the British authorities to cooperate on the Belturbet Bomb.

Last December, in light of an RTÉ documentary on the 1972 bombing which killed two teenagers Geraldine Reilly and Patrick Stanley, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin committed to pursuing the issue with his British counterparts on behalf of the bereaved families.

In response to a question from Deputy Niamh Smyth, Taoiseach assured the Dáil: "I will pursue this issue with the British authorities and the authorities in Northern Ireland."

An Taoiseach noted there were a number of cases where families were awaiting closure after "heinous crimes", and concluded his response vowing: "In this particular case I will do all I possibly can to see if we can get further answers for the families."

Almost six months after An Taoiseach's remarks in the Dáil, The Anglo-Celt asked his office to provide details of the members of the British authorities with whom he has raised the issue, including date and location; similarly with authorities in the North, and to outline their responses.

The Office of An Taoiseach did not provide details of any contacts made by Micheál Martin with authorities in Britain or the North. They instead outlined the recent meetings of his cabinet colleagues:

"The Minister for Justice is briefed by the Garda Commissioner on the current status of the investigation into the Belturbet bombing.

"On 5 May the Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD, met with Brandon Lewis MP, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in Dublin. During the meeting Minister Humphreys took the opportunity to highlight recent commentary in relation to the Belturbet bombing and the tragic events of that day.

Matter of priority

"The Government is committed to actively pursuing the implementation of the All-Party Dáil motion on the Dublin Monaghan bombings and related cases, and the Programme for Government reiterates Ireland’s commitment to engaging with the British Government on these issues as matter of priority, as we work for truth and justice for all families on this island.

"The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has engaged regularly with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in this respect, and the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference has also been an important forum for these issues to be raised. We continue to work for the implementation of a comprehensive framework in line with the Stormont House Agreement to address the legacy of the Troubles, which would see the establishment of an Historical Investigations Unit."