It is positive to have these statements in the House. The publication of the final Operation Kenova report forces us all to confront some of the darkest and most painful chapters in our history. It is an extensive, detailed and deeply disturbing examination of violence, collusion, institutional failure and, above all, a prolonged denial of truth for victims and their families. This report lays bare the brutal reality of the Provisional IRA's campaign of terror. It documents in stark detail the abduction, torture and execution of individuals suspected of informing. These were barbaric crimes that devastate families and communities until this day. That reality has to be acknowledged honestly and without hesitation. The report also exposes serious and deeply troubling failures by the British Government and its agencies. These are not minor administrative failings; they are failures that had life-and-death consequences. The findings surrounding the British Army agent known as Stakeknife are among the most shocking contained in this report. Kenova sets out how an individual strongly implicated in murder, torture and abduction was protected and facilitated by the British intelligence structures because he was considered a valuable asset. Intelligence was withheld. Opportunities to prevent killings were not taken. The report concludes that it is probable more lives were lost as a result of Stakeknife's continued operation than were saved. That is not just a simple historical controversy; it is fundamental moral and ethical failure by the British State. It lives on in communities like my own. What is even more unacceptable is the continuing refusal of the British Government to formally confirm the identity of this agent. This refusal persists despite a clear public interest case and the overwhelming demands of victims' families. The continued reliance on the policy of "Neither confirm nor deny" in this context is not about national security; it is about protecting institutions and people from accountability. Victims and families are entitled to ask simple and legitimate questions. Who knew? What did they know? Why were they allowed to act with apparent impunity? Disclosures from State records have suggested that knowledge existed between policing and republican circles about the agent's alleged involvement in the murder of a neighbour of ours at home, Cooley farmer Tom Oliver, years before the information became public. For the Oliver family and others like them, such revelations are not just academic. They represent decades of withheld truth and deepened trauma. The findings related to the Glenanne gang network are equally damning. The report confirms collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and members of the British security forces in what it describes as vicious and serious criminal activity, including bombings and murder. The collusion corroded confidence in policing and governance structures and inflicted profound and lasting harm. That network has been linked to atrocities including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, attacks on Belturbet and Castleblayney and the bombing of Dundalk, the 50th anniversary of which was in December last. Communities in County Louth and across the Border region continue to live with the legacy of those attacks. The pain of the families has never been diminished. The absence of full truth has prolonged their suffering and will continue to prolong that suffering until answers are heard. While the report states that it found no evidence of strategic state collusion in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, the British Government still refuses to provide unrestricted access to all relevant documentation. That position is indefensible. Families have waited over 50 years. Any continued withholding of information cannot be justified by appeals to historical sensitivity or institutional protection. The Irish Government has consistently called for full disclosure through independent international judicial examination of all British-held records. That demand remains not only valid but absolutely urgent. The Kenova report can also demonstrate that accountability is still possible. It shows clearly that justice can still be pursued. The principle is straightforward. It has to be absolute. There can be no immunity for those responsible for murder, regardless of the passage of time or the institutions involved. The joint framework on legacy agreed between the Irish and British Governments commits both states to reciprocal co-operation, transparency and meaningful information recovery. The credibility of that framework now depends heavily on the actions of the British and Irish Governments. Words and commitments are no longer enough. Victims and survivors require tangible evidence of openness and absolute accountability. This accountability is not easy for the Irish Government or the British Government, but if we are going to move on and have a peaceful reunified Ireland, we have to face up to the atrocities that happened across this island. Addressing the legacy of the Troubles is not about opening the past. It remains open because truth has been denied for far too long and because communities like my own, on the Cooley Peninsula in north Louth, cannot move on with partial disclosure. We have to have full disclosure of information. This will be really difficult and hurtful but we have to face up to it. Operation Kenova has shown that independent investigation can uncover those uncomfortable truths. It has exposed the cost of delay, secrecy and institutional self-protection. The British Government must now confront those findings honestly and demonstrate a genuine commitment to full transparency. I ask the Minister to continue his work and stand firmly with those victims and the survivors, including families in Dundalk and north Louth, across County Louth and throughout this island. All they are asking for is truth, justice and for their loved ones to be remembered in the way they should be - for their life and not their death. They are not seeking vengeance; they are just seeking answers. After decades of waiting, those answers should not be withheld any longer.

Sentiment score: -0.14