Government to publish changes to Troubles legacy bill next month, Sinn Féin says
Alliance MLA Eóin Tennyson described the meeting with the secretary of state as “constructive”.
“We’ve been drinking in the last chance saloon when it comes to dealing with the legacy of our past for some time now. Families have waited for too long and have been let down by successive governments,” Tennyson said.
“We stressed upon the secretary of state the need now to move at pace, to get legacy legislative over the line and to move in lockstep with the Irish government so that we can finally get those families the answers that they deserve.”
The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Jon Burrows, said it is a “mistake” that politicians will not see the amendments until a week before the debate.
He added that they had pressed on the secretary of state to encourage the Irish government to cooperate with the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
“They have a long record of not doing their business right on legacy,” Burrows said.
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Claire Hanna said: “We want to see the framework put in place so that we can start to move on and get people to the information they need.
“Some of the amendments unfortunately will make that more difficult but we will work through them next month.”
The bill seeks to replace the contentious 2023 Legacy Act, which introduced a ban on inquests and civil actions related to Troubles-era incidents.
The new plan involves a Legacy Commission to investigate Troubles-related killings, a separate information recovery body, and a dedicated legacy unit within An Garda Síochána (Irish police).
A package of protections for military veterans has also been proposed by the government.
