Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 June 2023
23. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs what interactions there have been with his UK counterparts on the Council of Europe’s decision on the Northern Ireland legacy issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28852/23]
View answerIn Stormont House in 2014, the two Governments and most of the Assembly parties agreed a way forward on legacy which would meet the needs of victims, uphold human rights and contribute to reconciliation, an approach endorsed again in the Fresh Start and New Decade, New Approach agreements. However, in May 2022, with the publication of its Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, the UK Government decided to move away from the Stormont House Agreement and take a unilateral approach to dealing with the past. During all of my engagements with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, I have made clear the Government's opposition to this Bill, and outlined my specific and serious concerns about its provisions.
Last week, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg adopted a Interim Resolution, which, once again, expressed serious concern about the UK Bill. This was the fifth occasion on which the Council expressed its serious concern about the question of the Bill's compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights. While the process itself is confidential, my officials have briefed Council of Europe member states regularly on our concerns, and have made the Government's views clear in formal sessions.
On 8 June, the UK Government published a list of proposed amendments to the Bill. It is my view that these new amendments fail to sufficiently alter the Bill to address our concerns about its compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights and its impact on the fundamental work of reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
I will continue to encourage the UK Government to pause this Bill and return to the partnership approach that has successfully produced a lasting peace for the people of these islands for 25 years.
