Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to ask about the progress on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act. As the Taoiseach knows, this legislation will replace current methods of criminal and civil investigations and inquests with inquiries carried out by the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.

It will have the power to offer conditional amnesties. The Act effectively tears up the relevant provisions of the Stormont House Agreement. The Council of Europe has stated the Act breaches human law. Already there are legal actions under way in Belfast to stop the legislation. The Irish Government could take an interstate case against the British Government in the European Court of Human Rights on the basis of the European Convention on Human Rights. Has the Attorney General given his advice on this matter as yet? When will the Government make a decision in this regard?

In addition, former Lord Chief Justice Declan Morgan has been appointed the chief commissioner-designate of the ICRIR. It has already recruited staff and has launched a public survey to develop its operating principles. Has the Irish Government had any engagement with this new body to date given that it has launched a public survey? Obviously we do not agree with the establishment of this body but I wonder whether it has had any communication with the Irish Government.

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