New bill to enhance Irish co-operation with Troubles inquests

New legislation has been published to enhance Ireland’s co-operation with coroners’ inquests in Northern Ireland into deaths during the Troubles.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has published the general scheme of the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Bill 2017 following its approval by the Cabinet.

The bill, Mr Flanagan said, will underpin the Government’s commitment to full co-operation with the framework of measures set out in the Stormont House Agreement.

He said: “The Government has been steadfast in our commitment to dealing with the painful legacy of conflict in Northern Ireland. Acknowledging and addressing the needs of the victims of the troubles is a key aspect of our efforts to support and to promote reconciliation.

“As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I was intimately involved in the negotiation of the Stormont House Agreement and as Minister for Justice and Equality I am delivering on legal measures necessary to underpin the commitments on legacy matters.

“This legislation will respond to the needs of Coroners in Northern Ireland and Britain dealing with legacy cases to access testimony from An Garda Síochána where this is relevant to their inquests. It will also provide a structured mechanism to enhance co-operation with a number of bodies dealing with deaths related to the Troubles, including the Historical Investigations Unit to be established in Northern Ireland and the Ireland-UK Independent Commission on Information Retrieval, both of which arise from the Stormont House Agreement.

“I will now be writing to the Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality to ask them to consider the general scheme of this Bill under Oireachtas pre-legislative scrutiny procedures.”