Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Acknowledged
Urge the Government of Ireland to establish human rights-compliant legacy investigations at pace.
Recommendation
We welcome the commitment to cooperation on legacy between the UK Government and the Government of Ireland. Ireland now needs to demonstrate its own commitment to establishing and completing human rights-compliant investigations, underpinned by legislation. There is a lack of clarity on the remit, independence and oversight of the proposed legacy unit in the Garda. Victim-survivors and other stakeholders will no doubt look for the establishment as soon as possible of structures comparable to those in the UK, to ensure confidence in the legacy process as a whole across the UK and Ireland. Dublin has stated that it needs to wait for London to implement its human rights-compliant structures before establishing its own. Noting that both governments are signatories to the ECHR, we would urge Dublin to move at pace to show their commitment and mutual good faith, and maximise confidence and the likelihood of successful outcomes. The lack of progress on the Republic of Ireland’s inquiry into the Omagh bombing remains a profound obstacle to uncovering the full truth. It continues to cause deep hurt for many and represents a serious failure of accountability. We have reservations about the Memorandum of 85 Understanding on the Inquiry which the Government of Ireland has agreed, and we do not believe it is a sustainable position for the Government to await its outworkings to determine whether our concerns are confirmed. (Conclusion, Paragraph 204) Reconciliation
Government response summary AI-generated
The government reports that the Irish Government has established a dedicated unit for Troubles-related cases and is progressing legislation for cooperation, in line with Joint Framework commitments. It notes that questions about the unit's independence are for the Irish Government.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
74. The Irish Government has taken steps to facilitate cooperation by the Irish authorities with the Omagh Bombing Inquiry. This has included the signing of a memorandum of understanding directly with the Inquiry, issuing regulations (under section 2B of the Irish Data Protection Act 1988) to support the disclosure of personal data to the Inquiry, and issuing a formal Directive to An Garda Síochána (under section 37 of the Irish Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024) on cooperation with the Inquiry. Furthermore, the Irish Government has committed to introducing legislation in the first quarter of 2026 to facilitate the provision of oral testimony to the Omagh bombing inquiry. These are welcome steps. The General Scheme of that Bill, titled the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) (Amendment) Bill 2025, has been published and is available here . 75. The Chair of the Inquiry, Lord Turnbull, spoke about cooperation with the Irish authorities during the opening statement hearings, outlining his intention to approach cooperation with an open mind and without being constrained by previous experience. The Government firmly agrees that this is the most sensible approach. It is important to give the Inquiry the space it needs to do its work and demonstrate its effectiveness in obtaining answers. 76. The question as to whether a separate inquiry is required in Ireland is a matter for the Irish Government, although the Government recognises that this is the view held by many of the families. It is, of course, important that ECHR obligations are discharged in all cases where that is required.
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