Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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53. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the implementation of the joint framework on legacy published on 19 September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66602/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The measures announced in the Joint Framework published in September provide a pathway to truth and accountability, and, to the extent possible, justice for those most affected by the violence of the Troubles and represents a clear break with the 2023 UK Legacy Act.

Focus has now shifted, rightly, to the implementation of our shared and respective commitments.

I welcome the speed at which the British government has brought forward the Bill, which passed second reading in the House of Commons last week. It demonstrates the seriousness with which the Secretary of State and his colleagues are approaching this essential work.

We also have responsibilities in this jurisdiction. In the Joint Framework we committed to enabling “the fullest possible cooperation of the relevant Irish authorities with the Legacy Commission, once established” and we will bring forward legislation to facilitate this cooperation.

Obviously we can only legislate once the UK legislation is enacted. Work has begun on this in the background and at last week's meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Farmleigh, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said that he is hopeful the General Scheme of the Bill will be published in April or May of next year.

Reciprocal cooperation between the two jurisdictions is at the heart of the Joint Framework and this Government will not be found wanting on legacy.

Legacy investigations in this jurisdiction have remained active under An Garda Síochána. That will continue. In addition, a dedicated unit within An Garda Síochána, as a single point of contact for cross-border cooperation and for victims and families will be established before the end of the year.

Legislation will also be required to facilitate the establishment of the jointly funded Independent Commission on Information Retrieval, and officials are working on updating the 2015 Treaty establishing the ICIR.

We are also committed to a financial contribution of €25 million over three years to include the costs of participation and representation of victims, survivors and next of kin in legacy processes.

To leave the legacy of the Troubles unresolved is to hold back the essential task of reconciliation, and to allow trauma to pass down the generations. The timely and faithful implementation of the Joint Framework, by both Governments, is what is now needed to begin to break this cycle.