Irish Government should take case against UK over Troubles Legacy Act – Blaney

A Fianna Fáil Senator has urged the Irish Government to challenge the legality of the British Government's controversial Legacy Act in the courts.

Senator Niall Blaney has called on his party leader and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin to make a statement laying out the Irish Government's position on what he describes as a piece of reckless legislation.

The legislation was pushed through by the British Government despite unanimous opposition amongst the parties in the North.

All cases from the conflict will now come under the remit of a new body - the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. Those responsible for killings - including British soldiers and military figures - will be offered immunity in return for providing information.

Senator Blaney detailed that he had met with the UK Government’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Jonathan Caine, on three occasions in recent times to stress how any legislation should have victims and their families front and centre.

So far 15 bereaved families, supported by Amnesty International, have begun legal proceedings against the British Government in the High Court in Belfast.

“I have been highlighting issues with the Legacy Bill for some time, having met with Lord Caine on numerous occasions to discuss the fact that the Bill is a reckless piece of legislation that, instead of recognising the concerns of individual victims of the Troubles and their families, does the opposite. It is simply not right that victims and their families are being left with no other avenue than to take cases themselves,” said Senator Blaney.

"The discussions with Lord Caine have, unfortunately, been ignored. There is an urgent need for Government to respond to the Bill and take a state case against the UK government, in doing so standing up for the human rights that are at the centre of the Good Friday Agreement and the reconciliation process that we worked so hard to progress.”

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora, Sean Fleming, responded to Senator Blaney in Seanad Éireann, saying: "Respect for the European Convention on Human Rights is at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement, the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland. Its implementation in Northern Ireland law is a specific requirement of the Good Friday Agreement. This Act risks undermining the fundamental rights of the people of Northern Ireland. In so doing, it damages the process of reconciliation, which we have worked so hard to progress."

Senator Blaney agreed with Minister Fleming's response and asked for a timeline on the Government's next steps, saying that "time is of the essence."