In 1998, some 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, died when the dissident republican group, the Real IRA, detonated a car bomb which ripped through the County Tyrone market town of Omagh on 15 August. More than 200 people were injured in the blast. The attack was described as Northern Ireland's worst single terrorist atrocity and by the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, as an appalling act of savagery and evil.

At the 2004 Fine Gael Ard-Fheis, the Taoiseach promised that any government led by him would never lie about secret contacts with the Real IRA. More important, he saluted the families and the survivors of the Omagh bombing. He spoke directly to those families who were present: "You will get the truth and so will Ireland because Fine Gael is not alone in its commitment to honesty, honest politics and honest government." He further stated: "A government and its Ministers must keep their word because that is the standard should set and demand." Those families are here in the Visitors Gallery if the Taoiseach wishes to salute them.

We are familiar with the Taoiseach's report cards and score sheets for his Ministers. I hold him accountable today for his own scorecard and for what he promised. Representatives of the Omagh bombing families are here today in the Gallery, led by Mr. Michael Gallagher, who lost his 21-year-old son, Aiden, in the attack. These families have waited long enough for the full truth to be disclosed. On 19 July 2012, a comprehensive report was served to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, calling for a full cross-Border public inquiry. To date, the families have had no meaningful response from the Government and neither are they aware of any actions that the Government has taken in light of this information.

Will the Taoiseach explain to the families today why there has been no meaningful response to the comprehensive report submitted to the Minister for Justice and Equality? Will he explain to them or even indicate to them what actions, if any, the Government has taken in light of the extensive and verifiable information presented by the families? If no action has been taken since last July, will the Taoiseach explain to the families why this is the case, given his previous acknowledgement that working to obtain the truth about Omagh was a duty he held in the highest regard?

The Omagh bombing was an appalling tragedy and an appalling crime. It was one of the worst tragedies inflicted on innocent people throughout the entire Troubles in Northern Ireland. I had some engagement with personnel who were involved on the fringes of the Omagh bombing. The information transmitted to me at the time was transferred to the Taoiseach of the day and to the appropriate authorities. I met with Mr. Gallagher when I was a member of the Opposition. I listened to his story and the stories of others. Last year, I asked the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, to meet with the relatives and he did so. They handed him a copy of their report. The Minister has considered that report in part. Because of its implications, the Minister has not responded fully to the report as yet. On the question of the truth about Omagh, I would like to think we could find out the truth eventually. There are other issues in regard to Northern Ireland about which we have been unable to find out the truth. Some of these are very serious matters and people would like to be in a position to see the truth, however tragic, brought to light. I will ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to communicate with Deputy McGrath in respect of his ongoing consideration of the report he received from the relatives of the Omagh deceased. I met them only last year.

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. However, in order to find out the truth or anything else, one must look and examine. I do not doubt the Taoiseach's sincerity, even if I have concerns about the appalling pace of progress for the families and victims. I wish to make it clear to the Taoiseach that this is a case of significant State failings by successive British and Irish Governments. Last year the Taoiseach met the families of victims of the Enniskillen bombing and the Armagh massacre. I ask him to give half an hour at some stage to Mr. Gallagher and his people who are here today.

There have been failures on the part of both Governments in fulfilling their responsibilities under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The families can no longer be fobbed off with the standard line about ongoing investigations. They are calling for a full and thorough investigation; it is what they deserve and need. It is what Ireland needs. There is a need to move forward with peace and reconciliation.

The Taoiseach is head of the Government. Will he give a solemn commitment to meet with these families? Almost a decade since his Ard-Fheis promise, they are still waiting for a full cross-Border inquiry. Will he commit to putting in place an effective process in which the families can be actively engaged rather than just politely listened to and then ignored? This has been the case to date. It is time we paid a little bit more than the usual political lip-service to the cause of these families and actually do something that will help them. It is action they need, not heartfelt sentiments that are soon forgotten while the families and victims linger for another 15 years without the full facts of what happened on that awful day being brought to light and to public scrutiny.

Some time ago I met some of the relatives of persons who were blown up in the Omagh tragedy. I met with the relatives of the Kingsmill massacre, with the relatives of those murdered in Enniskillen and with people from Fermanagh who were displaced, some of whom were shot. I have a long list of organisations and individuals of different persuasions and from different areas in Northern Ireland who want to meet me, among whom are the Omagh group. Before I meet such organisations I have a meeting in advance with officials from the Department of the Taoiseach. They will make the arrangement to meet with the Omagh relatives prior to my meeting them. In due course, I will of course be happy to meet with them, as I did before. The truth is what is required here. In Northern Ireland, with its sad legacy, the truth is outstanding with regard to a whole range of areas. It is not a question of making points about this; rather, it is a case of trying to deal with the fact that these people have to carry on their lives every day in the knowledge that a person or persons planted those bombs with the deliberate intent of causing murder and mayhem. That lingering emotion stays with those people every day until the truth is uncovered.