John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Government is aware of the Time for Truth march that took place in Belfast on 9 June and was attended by a range of victims' families and groups.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade were present at the event on the day, and the Government maintains ongoing contact with many of the victims’ families who participated, in support of their efforts to secure truth and justice, often after decades.

The Tánaiste has engaged extensively with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and with the leaders of the political parties in Northern Ireland to seek the full implementation of the Stormont House Agreement legacy framework.

At the meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and in our bilateral meetings, the Tánaiste strongly emphasised to the Secretary of State the urgency of definitively moving ahead to a legislative phase to get the Stormont House bodies established.

This Government has also consistently emphasised the need to ensure proper resourcing of legacy inquests in Northern Ireland, consistent with Article 2 obligations. The announcement on 28 February by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland that the necessary resources will be in place so that outstanding legacy inquests will be heard, consistent with the proposals of the Lord Chief Justice in Northern Ireland in 2016, was welcome. It is imperative that these proposals are promptly implemented in order that outstanding inquests can proceed without further delay. The Government has also been consistently supportive of adequate resourcing for the Office of the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland which, under the current system, has responsibility for the investigation of relevant legacy issues. The Government will continue to engage to seek the full implementation of the Stormont House Agreement legacy framework, which will help to provide victims' families with a way to access whatever truth and justice is possible in their case. This will be an important step in achieving a truly reconciled society.

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