Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has told the Dáil that the Government is examining the issues raised in a Channel 4 report that alleged "waterboarding" of people in Northern Ireland by the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary.
The report was based on papers obtained by the Pat Finucane Centre showing the minutes of a meeting in November 1972 where the then-taoiseach Jack Lynch raised concerns with the British prime minister Edward Heath.
In the Dáil, Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald called for an examination of files in the Departments of Justice and in the Taoiseach's department to determine if more light could be shed on the claims.
She also asked that the minutes of the meeting between Jack Lynch and Edward Heath be released.
In response, the Tánaiste said that the report serves as a reminder of the "dark history of this island".
She said there was a need to reflect on the actions of others which included torture and burial.
She said the Government's priority was on maintaining the Good Friday Agreement, and not to "return to the dark days" of the past.
"We take these issues seriously and are looking closely and the issues raised in the programme."
