Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 6
6
We are dismayed by the lack of consultation and engagement with representative groups by the...
Recommendation
We are dismayed by the lack of consultation and engagement with representative groups by the NIO on its new proposals both before and after the publication of the WMS in March 2020. The WMS was a unilateral and emphatic announcement of intent rather than part of a meaningful consultation process. This issue demands serious and sustained engagement by the Government. Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland has historically been based on establishing consensus and agreement. Merely telling parties or organisations what Government either has done or is about to do is not consultation. We invite the Government to set out in written and/or oral evidence its engagement with the Irish Government, an invitation of which the Irish Government is also welcome to avail itself, if it so wishes. In order to ensure that its new legacy proposals are fit for purpose and capable of drawing support from all communities, the Government must conduct a transparent and meaningful consultation with victims’ groups, Northern Ireland political parties and, to the extent necessary, the Irish Government before publishing legislation. (Paragraph 24) Proposed new legacy body
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Committee has noted that: “to ensure that its new legacy proposals are fit for purpose and capable of drawing support from all communities, the Government must conduct a transparent and meaningful consultation with victims’ groups, Northern Ireland political parties and, to the extent necessary, the Irish Government before publishing legislation”.8 This Government is in complete agreement and has always been clear that it is committed to working with these stakeholders and all parts of the community in Northern Ireland, and beyond, as part of any process of legacy reform.