Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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84. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the engagement with the British government in relation to the Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy Act 2023; and the status of the interstate case. [47698/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Intensive and constructive work has been ongoing, in particular since the beginning of the year, at both official and political level, between the Irish and British governments to determine if we can find adequate common ground to move forward together on legacy.

Seeking a joint approach for reform of the Legacy Act has been the focus of all of my meetings and phone discussions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, over the last number of months.

I most recently spoke with Secretary of State Benn at the British Irish Association in Oxford on 5 September, where we further discussed the potential package of measures to comprehensively address the legacy of the Troubles.

Throughout our discussions, I have been clear that any agreement on legacy with the British Government must be one that provides viable routes to truth accountability and justice for families and victims.

In the course of our negotiations with the British Government, I have met with victims and survivors and their families and listened to their concerns and priorities for a reformed approach to legacy.

Certain issues arose repeatedly during these conversations which must be incorporated into the joint framework, including the need for independent oversight, effective representation, robust conflict of interest policies and procedures on a statutory basis, and the ability to hold public hearings with next-of-kin participation. It is imperative that we continue to listen to these voices and to provide adequate space for them to be heard before we move towards implementation of any agreement reached.

Reformed legacy mechanisms must be compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights and must be capable of securing the confidence of those most affected by the Troubles, namely victims and survivors. These have been our two benchmarks over the course of our negotiations with the British Government and it is against these which any agreement reached will be judged.

In the ongoing discussions with the British Government, care has been taken to ensure that efforts to find common ground on legacy are without prejudice to any submissions to be made by either Government in the inter-state case against the United Kingdom with the European Court of Human Rights.

The President of the Court gave notice of the application to the British Government of the application on 18 January 2024, and has assigned this application to the First Section of the Court. Applications for leave to intervene as third parties in these proceedings have been made by a number of organisations and individuals.

On 1 July 2025, the Court decided to adjourn the proceedings in this case pending the final outcome of the case of Dillon and Others, which is currently pending before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

We will continue to work jointly with the British Government, and to engage with those most impacted by the Troubles, to do all we can to reach a framework that meets our stated objectives and ensure that such an agreed framework is faithfully translated into legislation.