Rose Conway-Walsh warns against watering down legacy legislation
Rose Conway-Walsh spoke about proposed legacy legislation and the British-Irish joint legacy framework, warning against any watering down of commitments. She insisted the legislation must command the confidence of families, be human rights compliant and must not permit a British Secretary of State veto on disclosure of family reports.
Main concerns
She welcomed the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee report but said parts of the joint legacy framework are weak and cannot be watered down. The primary legislation underpinning the political framework is currently moving through Westminster and, she argued, must command the confidence of families to properly address the legacy of the past.
Veto power and disclosure
She said it is deeply concerning that any legislation would provide the British Secretary of State the power to veto disclosure on national security grounds for family reports from both the information retrieval body and the ICIR and the new legacy commission.
Families' rights and investigations
She stressed that all families and survivors have the right to an Article 2 compliant investigation into the deaths of their loved one and that any law must be human-rights compliant to be effective and acceptable to victims' families.
Local references and closing remarks
She addressed Deputy Mayor Mouroukou, said she would speak to Queen's College in respect of related concerns, and expressed hope that Denton would shed light on the Dundalk family. Her closing remarks included brief references to books and names recorded in the proceedings.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
There can be no watering down of the commitments made in the British-Irish government's joint legacy framework, and there are parts of that framework that I would question, but I think it is very important, and I welcome the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee report on this legacy legislation. The primary legislation underpinning the political framework is currently moving through Westminster, but the bottom line is that the legislation must command the confidence of the families and be human rights compliant for it to properly deal with legacy of the past. Now, reports that the legislation, which is already weak in parts, could be watered down are extremely concerning and will not be accepted. It's deeply concerning that any legislation would provide for the British Secretary of State the power to veto disclosure on national security grounds for family reports from both the information retrieval body and the ICIR and the new legacy commission. All families and survivors have the right to have an Article 2 compliant investigation into the deaths of their loved one. Thank you, Deputy. Deputy Mayor Mouroukou, I think I have dealt with some of the legacy issues. I will talk to Queen's College in respect to that, but in terms of the Dundalk family, hopefully Denton will shed light on that. Deputy Mayor Mouroukou,I think I have dealt with the last book of London? Well, this is a briefly Manton, I think that's immediately a couple of Gladys. of the miracle of the Old War
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
