A long-awaited joint framework to address the legacy of the Troubles will provide “sweeping reforms” that offer routes to “truth and accountability”, the Tánaiste is expected to say at its unveiling today.
Simon Harris and Northern Secretary Hilary Benn will jointly announce details of the framework, which replaces the UK government’s controversial Legacy Act, at a press conference in Hillsborough Castle.
The Legacy of the Troubles: A Joint Framework is the conclusion of months of intensive engagement between the Irish and UK governments.
Mr Harris will hail the new deal as a “step change” from the previous Legacy Act, which was implemented under the former UK Conservative government – and led to an interstate case being brought by the Irish government against London.
RM Block
The Irish Times understands the proposals are similar to those contained in the Stormont House deal, which was agreed in 2014 but never implemented.
It envisages two separate bodies: one for information recovery, and another, a new Legacy Commission, to replace the current Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
[ Legacy body must have power to recommend Troubles prosecutions, says Hilary BennOpens in new window ]
It also involves a new dedicated Legacy Unit being set up within An Garda Síochána and a €25 million support fund for victims.
Inquests halted by the Legacy Act will resume and the ban on Troubles-related civil cases will also be lifted.
A Victims and Survivors Advisory Group and an independent appointments panel advising on senior appointments will also be created.
The Legacy Commission will carry out investigations capable of leading to prosecution, while the establishment of a judge-led inquisitorial mechanism will include public hearings and effective next-of-kin participation.
Both governments will commit to reciprocal co-operation with legacy investigations, and legislation will be enacted in each jurisdiction to fulfil the requirements of the framework.
Mr Harris will hail the deal as one that will bring “root-and-branch reform” to the previous legislation and the commission it created.
The joint framework will provide “routes to truth and accountability for those most affected by the violence of the Troubles”, he is expected to say.
It will also provide for “sweeping reforms of the mechanisms designed to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and across this island” as well as routes “to truth and accountability for those most affected by the violence of the Troubles”.
Victims’ representatives will be briefed on the framework this morning ahead of its publication.
Mr Harris will acknowledge later today that winning the confidence of families “will take time”.
The new deal is seen as a reset in relations between the two governments following a bitter rift over the Legacy Act.
At the outset of negotiations, the Irish Government asked that any agreed approach to legacy would need to meet two tests: being compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights, and being capable of securing the support of those most affected, “especially the families of those killed”.
Mr Harris is expected to say that the framework, “if fully implemented”, will deliver on these two goals, a move that could potentially pave the way for the withdrawal of Dublin’s interstate case.
