{"id":73519,"date":"2025-09-19T14:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T14:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/73519\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T14:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T14:17:08","slug":"new-deal-to-address-troubles-legacy-issues-agreed-between-dublin-and-london-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/73519\/","title":{"rendered":"New deal to address Troubles legacy issues agreed between Dublin and London \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A long-awaited joint framework to address the legacy of the Troubles will provide \u201csweeping reforms\u201d that offer routes to \u201ctruth and accountability\u201d, the T\u00e1naiste has said at its unveiling on Friday.<\/p>\n

Simon Harris<\/a> and Northern Secretary Hilary Benn<\/a> jointly announced details of the framework, which replaces the UK government\u2019s controversial Legacy Act<\/a>, at a press conference in Hillsborough Castle in Co Down on Friday afternoon. <\/p>\n

The Legacy of the Troubles: A Joint Framework is the conclusion of months of intensive engagement between the Irish and UK<\/a> governments.<\/p>\n

Mr Harris hailed the new deal as a \u201cstep change\u201d from the previous Legacy Act<\/a>, which was implemented under the former UK Conservative government \u2013 and led to an interstate case being brought by the Irish Government against London.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Legacy body must have power to recommend Troubles prosecutions, says Hilary BennOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Mr Benn said it replaced \u201cthe previous [UK] government\u2019s flawed, undeliverable and widely opposed Legacy Act\u201d which had caused \u201cgreat pain and anguish to many people in Northern Ireland<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that this framework, underpinned by new co-operation from both our governments, represents the best way forward to finally make progress on the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement<\/a>\u201d, and this would allow bereaved families \u201cto find the answers they have long been seeking\u201d.<\/p>\n

The new proposals include a new dedicated Legacy Unit being set up within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, which will investigate all unresolved Troubles-related incidents in Ireland, and a \u20ac25 million support fund for victims.<\/p>\n

The joint framework is broadly similar to the deal at Stormont House, which was agreed in 2014 but never implemented. <\/p>\n

It envisages two separate bodies: one for information recovery, and another, a new Legacy Commission, to replace the current Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.<\/p>\n

Inquests halted by the Legacy Act will resume and the ban on Troubles-related civil cases will also be lifted.<\/p>\n

A Victims and Survivors Advisory Group and an independent appointments panel advising on senior appointments will also be created.<\/p>\n

The Legacy Commission will carry out investigations capable of leading to prosecution, while the establishment of a judge-led inquisitorial mechanism will include public hearings and effective next-of-kin participation.<\/p>\n

\"TaoiseachTaoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said the framework is fundamentally ‘about many, many families getting closure’. Photograph: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos <\/p>\n

Both governments will commit to reciprocal co-operation with legacy investigations, and legislation will be enacted in each jurisdiction to fulfil the requirements of the framework.<\/p>\n

The UK government also stressed \u201csix new protections for and rights\u201d for veterans in the framework, and said they would \u201censure no veteran who carried out their duty properly will be forced to face endless legal uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Harris hailed the deal as one that will bring \u201croot-and-branch reform\u201d to the previous legislation and the commission it created.<\/p>\n

The joint framework will provide \u201croutes to truth and accountability for those most affected by the violence of the Troubles\u201d, he said. <\/p>\n

It will also provide for \u201csweeping reforms of the mechanisms designed to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and across this island\u201d as well as routes \u201cto truth and accountability for those most affected by the violence of the Troubles\u201d.<\/p>\n

Victims\u2019 representatives were briefed on the framework this morning ahead of its publication, and the T\u00e1naiste also spoke by phone to Bridie Brown, the widow of murdered GAA official Sean Brown. <\/p>\n

Mr Harris acknowledged that winning the confidence of families \u201cwill take time\u201d.<\/p>\n

The new deal is seen as a reset in relations between the two governments following a bitter rift over the Legacy Act.<\/p>\n

At the outset of negotiations, the Irish Government asked that any agreed approach to legacy would need to meet two tests: being compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights, and being capable of securing the support of those most affected, \u201cespecially the families of those killed\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Harris said that the framework, \u201cif fully implemented\u201d, will deliver on these two goals, a move that could potentially pave the way for the withdrawal of Dublin\u2019s interstate case.<\/p>\n

Speaking in Waterford on Friday, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said the framework is fundamentally \u201cabout many, many families getting closure in respect of the murder of their loved ones and the killing of their loved ones. We have had a very good engagement with UK prime minister Keir Starmer\u2019s government\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo agreement is perfect but in our view this represents a very significant opportunity now to have agreement with the British government and to work with families of victims in the time ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A long-awaited joint framework to address the legacy of the Troubles will provide \u201csweeping reforms\u201d that offer routes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[23936,9,10,18,13,14,6,50348,19,17,5446,11,12,42882,15,16,5765,5,954,44,7,8,393],"class_list":{"0":"post-73519","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-belfast-agreement","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-breakingnews","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-featured-news","13":"tag-featurednews","14":"tag-headlines","15":"tag-hilary-benn","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-keir-starmer","19":"tag-latest-news","20":"tag-latestnews","21":"tag-legacy-act","22":"tag-main-news","23":"tag-mainnews","24":"tag-micheal-martin","25":"tag-news","26":"tag-northern-ireland","27":"tag-simon-harris","28":"tag-top-stories","29":"tag-topstories","30":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}