Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to meet with the committee today. I look forward to the questions and comments of members in a few minutes' time. I wish to make a brief opening statement to set a context around our discussion and then I will take questions. Thank you for the invitation to meet with the committee today, a Chathaoirligh.

I was honoured to meet with the Ballymurphy families on several occasions in recent years, as the Government worked with them to support their long campaign for truth and justice. The coroner's verdict last month was a moment of complete vindication for their loved ones and a testament to their own determination and unyielding pursuit of justice. When I met them in their own area, it was a very emotional meeting, so I can understand the outpouring of relief and emotion of so many of the families when the verdict was delivered. It was important that the significance of the verdict was marked by statements in the Dáil, and I was pleased to learn that the committee met with the families at the end of May.

When dealing with the legacy of the Troubles, it is unfortunately all too rare that we see such moments of progress. It was, therefore, very heartening to hear John Teggart say when he met with the committee that he was "overjoyed at the verdict" of the inquest. It is not language we hear often from representatives of victims or victims' groups in Northern Ireland. As John said, "every victim should have a right to pursue justice", and that is a view the Government has consistently taken. I know many members of this committee take the same view.

Every family bereaved as a result of the Troubles should have access to effective investigation and to a process of justice, regardless of the perpetrator. The Government is committed to helping all of those who seek truth and justice on behalf of loved ones lost during the Troubles, to find it.

The Stormont House Agreement was reached between the two Governments and the political parties in Northern Ireland, with the exception of the Ulster Unionist Party, UUP, in 2014 after a long and intense period of negotiation. It set out a path forward – a balanced framework that encompassed the core principles of truth, justice and reconciliation. Recent reports of plans by the UK Government to introduce a statute of limitations have caused significant upset, shock and concern among many families, including the Ballymurphy families.

We know the Stormont House Agreement is not perfect. I am not sure that there can be a perfect solution to such a complicated sensitive and historical problem but it gives us a framework and an agreed path forward. Where are there are concerns about any aspects of the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, they need to be addressed as part of a collective process, one that has at its heart the voices of those most impacted by the process. When I discussed the matter with the UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, last week during the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, I made this position clear to him while also making clear, as we have always done, that the Government is ready to discuss any concerns on the Stormont House Agreement and will try to find workable solutions.

The views of victims and survivors must be central to any new discussions. It is also essential that a comprehensive framework to address legacy complies fully with the European Convention on Human Rights. Both Governments agreed at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference last week that there is a need for a process of intensive engagement with the Northern Ireland parties and others, especially victims' groups, on legacy issues. I look forward to this engagement beginning immediately. The first meeting will take place after this meeting. Representatives from various parties and the two Governments will meet to start that process. It will move at a later stage to party leader discussions with the UK Secretary of State and me. All parties have been asked to nominate representatives to take part in these initial discussions. The talks will have the objective to find an agreed way forward that will allow implementing legislation to be introduced in the UK and Ireland by the end of this autumn, but there will be no predetermined outcomes to this process. It is important to emphasise that point.

It is vital that we make progress. It is vital for victims, families and society as a whole as we seek to build deeper reconciliation, trust and lasting peace. I know of the frustrations that many families of victims have expressed to me on the lack of progress in this area in recent years despite the coming into being of the Stormont House Agreement in 2014. There will be no approach to addressing the painful legacy of our past that is without complexity or difficulty or that does not bring with it additional challenges. We know that we may not find complete consensus across the spectrum of parties, stakeholders and victims' representatives. Yet, we have an obligation to try. It is crucial to have a collective approach that works in both jurisdictions and that is in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. We have that in the Stormont House Agreement. We need to have such a collective approach to its implementation or to any changes we may agree to make together.

The Ballymurphy inquest showed that breakthroughs are still possible and that important truths are still recoverable. Important outcomes for families are still achievable, even 50 years later. We need a system in place that maximises the chances of those things for all families and that supports true reconciliation in Northern Ireland. However, it needs to be a workable and deliverable process and it needs collective backing from the two Governments and the parties in Northern Ireland for that. That is what we are seeking to achieve in these current discussions. No one is going into this process naively. There is certainly scepticism among parties in Northern Ireland on whether we will be able to find agreement. From the perspective of the Government we are going into the process with an open mind. We are going into the process with a clear view on the need to agree outcomes that can maximise the opportunity for establishing the truth and achieving justice for families when and where there are files of evidence to be able to do that in court. I encourage all parties to be active, to be part of this process and to try to find a way forward with us that ultimately can allow us to progress an approach on legacy.

The starting point of this discussion is the Stormont House Agreement. We believe the Stormont House Agreement is still the best way to do this, but of course we are not the only voice in this discussion by a long shot. We know the British Government wants to pursue a different approach. We have to listen with an open mind but ensure no impression is given that there is a pre-determined outcome to these discussions. Instead, we will approach the discussions with an open mind, but we expect the British Government to do so too and to take on board the concerns, anxieties, ambitions and frustrations of so many victims and their families and so many politicians who have been working on their behalf for many years and, in some cases, for decades.

That is where matters stand. I look forward to the questions and comments from committee members on the approach we are taking.