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Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy 2025-11-13

13 November 2025

Lead MP

David Davis

Debate Type

Adjournment Debate

Tags

Crime & Law EnforcementTaxationNorthern Ireland
Other Contributors: 3

At a Glance

David Davis raised concerns about northern ireland troubles legacy 2025-11-13 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

How the Debate Unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:

Lead Contributor

Opened the debate
I start by welcoming the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to his place. We must approach addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland with real facts, not misinformation peddled by the IRA and their sympathisers. The state has a moral obligation to protect brave soldiers who defended our freedoms during challenging times. This debate is about principles: defending those who acted under lawful instruction, maintaining military effectiveness, and refusing to bend to terrorist demands or their modern sympathisers. The Government’s proposed legislation does little to defend these principles. Blair’s Government created the Good Friday agreement which drew a line on atrocities without resolving accountability issues. They also authorised the 'on-the-run' administrative scheme that granted letters of comfort to many murderers. This effectively stopped prosecutions for terrorist atrocities and left 483 terrorists released early, at least 156 with individual letters of comfort, and multiple pardons given to convicted prisoners. The Government now defends this as non-amnesties but the impact has been clear: few convictions since the agreement was signed in 1998. This is a moral issue about protecting veterans from hauled inquests decades after the fact.

Government Response

Crime & Law EnforcementTaxationNorthern Ireland
Government Response
I thank the hon. Member for Goole and Pocklington (David Davis) for raising this matter today. The Government recognise that addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland is a complex issue, involving principles of justice, accountability, reconciliation, and healing wounds from the troubles. We acknowledge the need to balance these competing demands while upholding our moral obligations. Our proposed legislation seeks to provide certainty and closure for victims, survivors, and their families by establishing an independent statutory body—the Historic Investigations Unit—to examine legacy cases and recommend appropriate redress or prosecutions based on evidence available. The unit will be governed by clear principles of fairness, transparency, and impartiality. We have committed £12 million in funding to support this initiative, ensuring that all cases are examined with due diligence and consideration for the impact on individuals involved. This approach aims to address the challenges raised during previous debates while upholding our commitment to justice and reconciliation. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland acknowledges the concerns raised by the right hon. Member for Goole and Pocklington, but emphasises that the Government’s Troubles Bill will provide stronger protections for veterans than the previous government's Legacy Act. He clarifies that decisions on prosecutions remain with the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, independent of political influence. Benn highlights that the current process for Loughgall is a result of a decision made by a Conservative Attorney General 10 years ago to order an inquest. The minister asserts that acknowledging all those affected by the troubles and seeking support across Northern Ireland is crucial for moving forward. When I said repeatedly that the current Legacy Act would have granted immunity to terrorists, I heard Conservative Members saying from a sedentary position, “Well, that is not true”, so let me quote from clause 19 of the Legacy Act. It says: “The ICRIR must grant a person immunity from prosecution” if certain conditions are met, including that the person has asked for immunity from prosecution, that the information describes conduct that formed part of the troubles and is to the best of the person’s knowledge true, and that the commission is satisfied that the conduct would have exposed the person to a criminal investigation. One of the reasons why the Legacy Act had no support in Northern Ireland is because the families of all those who saw their loved ones killed did not want their killers to be granted immunity.
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