The Minister for Foreign Affairs has said she is “absolutely assured” that the agreement between the Irish and UK governments on addressing Troubles legacy issues will be “fully fulfilled” in forthcoming UK legislation.
Helen McEntee said she regretted that the UK legislation could not advance to committee stage at Westminster during this session, but noted there has been a “clear commitment” from the British government to move forward with Legacy legislation, reports RTE.
She was speaking after the latest British-Irish Intergovernmental Council meeting held today at Hillsborough Castle, alongside Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn.
Ms McEntee described the discussions as “warm and constructive” and said both governments share common priorities in delivering for victims and families affected by the Troubles, reports RTE.
During the meeting, the Northern Ireland Secretary said the government remained committed to establishing a legacy framework that supports victims and provides the “strongest possible protections to veterans who served in Northern Ireland”.
Amendments to the legislation in this area are expected to be introduced in June, reports RTE.
Today, Mr Benn said there was a “duty and responsibility to make sure that those who served the state to keep the people of Northern Ireland safe, are properly treated in the legacy process”.
He said that “none” of the amendments affect the commitments made in the joint framework agreement with the Irish government last year, reports RTE.
“Dealing with legacy is complex. Dealing with legacy is difficult. It is the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement,” Mr Benn said, reports RTE.
“Here we are 28 years after that agreement was signed. I think there is consensus that this is the last chance we have. What has come through today’s meeting is that we are absolutely determined to get this done”, he added, reports RTE.
The meeting was also attended by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, who said he would seek approval for drafting a general Legacy Bill to address the Legacy Commission to be established by the UK government by the end of May or early June.
He said he hoped it would be “enacted promptly thereafter”, within three to four months, reports RTE.
Minister O’Callaghan said that as the legislation aims to provide information to the UK-established Legacy Commission, it is dependent on the passage of the corresponding UK law.
He added that the Irish legislation is “dependent” on the UK legislation, but said he was “encouraged” that committee stage amendments would be published in June, reports RTE.
He said he had not yet seen the amendments but had received the Secretary of State’s “assurance” that they would comply with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Secretary of State said members of the House of Commons would be the first to review the details of the amendments concerning protections for veterans, reports RTE.
Mr Benn said such amendments are typically published about a week before the Bill reaches committee stage.
He said he looked forward to the debate, reports RTE.
“My aim from the start was to try to achieve as much consensus as possible. This is difficult and there is a reason for it, because people have different views,” Mr Benn said, reports RTE.
“We cannot have a system that the last Government put in place that is not compliant with our international legal obligations. We have to fix it”, reports RTE.
“At the end of the process I hope that people will come to see that we have managed to create something that can work for families,” Mr Benn added, reports RTE.
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