Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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149. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason for contradiction between parties in their understanding of what "safeguards for veterans" means within the Joint Framework that was agreed between him and Hilary Benn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56956/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Joint Framework I announced on 19 September alongside Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, sets out a comprehensive package aimed at providing truth, accountability, and, to the extent possible, justice for victims and families who lost loved ones during the Troubles.

The Joint Framework offers the best opportunity for addressing one of the most difficult issues of the peace process and is the culmination of months of intensive discussion with the British Government.

Last week the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn MP, published the Bill amending the 2023 Legacy Act. This legislation is a vital first step in implementing commitments made in the Joint Framework on the Legacy of the Troubles, published by the two Governments on 19 September 2025.

As distinct from the Joint Framework, the series of protections for British army veterans announced by the British Government, on the same day as the Joint Framework, were not a product of bilateral negotiation or discussion.

While it is for the British government to outline any specific measures they intend to take forward in respect of veterans that are separate from the Joint Framework, it is both my clear understanding, and the view of the Government, that any accommodations made for witnesses, for example in respect of remote testimony, will apply to all equally.

While we are continuing to analyse in detail the full scope of the Bill published by the UK government last Tuesday, my preliminary analysis is that there are no specific statutory protections for veterans in the legislation that do not equally apply to other witnesses.

I would stress that overriding objective of this Framework is to provide pathways to truth and justice for all those affected by the violence of the Troubles. Every family, from every community, is entitled to that. Every person involved in those legacy processes is entitled to have their legal rights respected and to due process. That must apply equally, and to everyone.