Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Acknowledged
Reconciliation requires bottom-up effort, though government can foster spaces and symbols.
Conclusion
Pathways to reconciliation are myriad and complex for every individual, and neither a government, nor a commission, can advance this from the top down. It will emerge only through the diverse acts, large and small, of the people of Northern Ireland and beyond, individually and collectively. For some, too, reconciliation will be neither desirable nor achievable. Importantly though, the Government does have the resources and convening power to create the spaces and symbols to foster it. Reconciliation is no longer so artificially front and centre of the renamed Legacy Commission, but the Government still plans to progress other memorialisation and reconciliation provisions under Part 4 of the Legacy Act, and these may provide the basis for some reconciliation to flourish. (Conclusion, Paragraph 225)
Government Response Summary
The government reaffirms its commitment to Part 4 of the Legacy Act for oral history, memorialisation, and academic themes, and notes progress on an independently led official history and a digitisation project supporting reconciliation.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
This Government remains absolutely committed to the provisions contained in Part 4 of the Legacy Act regarding oral history, memorialisation, and academic themes and patterns, which are not being repealed. While our focus has been on addressing the Legacy Act’s problems and delivering for victims and their families, I am pleased to have seen progress on two related projects that seek to provide greater access to UK archival material on the Troubles. This includes an independently led official history, and a digitisation project to make records held at The National Archives freely available online. Both of these projects support reconciliation by helping understanding of the past.