Dr Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, Lord Caine and Lord Bew

Lord Bew, from a northern unionist background, and Dr Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, from Cork, have been picked by ministers to co-chair an independent advisory panel alongside seven other historians.

Lord Caine, parliamentary under-secretary of state for Northern Ireland, who said it is important that the panel conducts its work independently, met the pair ahead of their first formal meeting in London this week.

The panel will make recommendations on key details of the project, including the selection of historians to write the “public history” — one of the first under a 116-year-old government programme not to be known as an “official history”, after a 2008 review said this “suggests to some that the government determines the content of the books, including any judgments expressed in them, and that it is therefore propaganda”.

Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said: “By opening up government files to independent historians, including the records of previous administrations and those held across different departments and agencies, this public history will help allow for a fuller examination of the Troubles than has ever been possible before.

“I am grateful to Lord Bew, Dr Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid and the panel members, whose exceptional knowledge and insight will play a key role in advancing public understanding of Northern Ireland’s difficult past.”

Lord Bew said: “I have long advocated for this public history, and for opening sensitive information to scholars in the interest of securing a fuller picture of the state’s role during the Troubles.

“I am delighted to co-chair this varied panel of eminent historians, which is reflective of the broad consultation we have had with over 40 academics. I am grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their views, which have shaped the form of this project.”

Dr Nic Dháibhéid said: “As a historian, I am supportive of any endeavour to widen access to archival sources. I welcome the government’s commitment to doing so via a transparent and rigorous process, and following extensive consultation with the academic community.

“In line with the recommendations made by Sir Joseph Pilling, this panel is eager to engage with as broad a constituency as possible during the course of this project and I look forward to collaborating with researchers across these islands in the coming months.”