Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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247. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to comments made at the recent British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference regarding the investigatory powers of the to be established historical investigation unit, if he will outline how this proposed new Garda legacy unit will differentiate from the existing Garda legacy section; the powers he is proposing the former will have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66615/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is referring to the Joint Framework on the Legacy of the Troubles agreed with the British Government and announced on 19 September last and formally approved by Government on 1 October. The Joint Framework provides routes to truth and accountability for those most affected by the violence of the Troubles. It reflects the Government's commitment to play our full part in legacy processes and to address the legacy of the conflict in this jurisdiction.

As part of this, the Government has committed to facilitating the cooperation of the relevant Irish authorities with the UK Legacy Commission, once established, to the fullest extent possible. The UK Government also commits to reciprocal cooperation by the UK authorities with investigations, inquests and inquiries on the same basis and in the same spirit.

As recognised in the Joint Framework, investigations into Troubles-related incidents should be victim-centred. To further support this objective, the Garda Commissioner has committed to the establishment by the end of the year of a dedicated unit as a central point of contact for victims and families in relation to Troubles-related investigations undertaken by An Garda Síochána. The unit will also serve as a single point of contact for cross-border cooperation on Troubles-related cases (whether with the reformed Legacy Commission or other processes).

As is evident from the Joint Framework, there is no intention that the unit will be an investigative unit. The investigation of Troubles-related cases will continue to be undertaken by the relevant Garda Division in which the incident occurred with the support of national units as required. This is the most appropriate and effective approach in this jurisdiction.

As the Deputy will be aware, within An Garda Síochána, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation holds a national investigative remit specialised in the area of major crime investigation which can provide support to local Divisions. This includes, where appropriate, deploying the expertise of the Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT), which was established in 2007, to provide for independent review of historical investigations, including homicides.

In circumstances where historic offences have not been resolved, the investigations remain open and the Garda Authorities follow up fully on any new evidence or information that becomes available to them, whether that comes from the public, from other police services or from their own investigations.

In time, once the Joint Framework has been implemented and embedded, further investigative leads may come to light through reciprocal cooperation with the UK authorities.

As I have stated, the Garda Commissioner has committed to establishing the new unit by the end of the year. Its full operation will, however, depend on the progress made by the UK Government in enacting the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and the reformed Legacy Commission becoming fully operational.

At the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 17 November the Tánaiste and I had a productive discussion with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the progress in relation to legislation in both jurisdictions to support implementation of our respective commitments. I welcomed the introduction of the legislation in the UK Parliament on 14 October 2025 and stated my commitment to bringing forward the necessary legislation to support implementation in jurisdiction, in particular, cooperation with the Legacy Commission processes. There is an obvious dependency on the progress of the UK legislation but that said, I hope to be in a position to publish my proposals next Spring and to be in a position to bring them before the Houses as quickly as possible once the UK Bill is law.