Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris has called on the UK and Irish governments to seize a “window of opportunity” to deliver truth, accountability and justice for victims of the Troubles and their families. Speaking at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin on Monday, the Tanaiste thanked the British government for swiftly introducing legislation to amend the 2023 Legacy Act.
The UK Labour government’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, which aims to reform parts of the contentious 2023 Act introduced by the previous Conservative government, will have its second reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The 2023 Act halted civil cases and inquests into Troubles deaths and offered conditional immunity to perpetrators in exchange for co-operation with a truth recovery body. Harris said the current bill, as drafted, reflects the joint framework agreed by both governments in September.
Irish Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan confirmed that Irish legislation will be published in April or May next year to ensure full co-operation with the UK bill. He also announced that a Garda unit will be established by the end of this year to act as a central contact for legacy inquiries from Northern Ireland. O’Callaghan noted that new data protection regulations had been put in place to enable the Omagh Bombing Inquiry to receive sensitive information from An Garda Siochana.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn described the 2023 Act as a failure, stating it “failed legally”, did not meet the UK’s international commitments, and lacked support in Northern Ireland. He expressed determination to “put in place a system that families can have confidence in”. Benn praised the current relationship between the two governments as “better than it’s ever been”, highlighting progress made as the 40th anniversary of the Anglo-Irish Agreement approaches.
