Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 February 2022
64. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the heads of state with whom he has raised the British amnesty for crimes by British service members during the Troubles; the response of each respective head of state; and the further actions he plans to take to garner international support against the amnesty. [5243/22]
View answerThe Government has made clear that a Statue of Limitations with respect to Troubles-related offenses, as proposed in the UK Government’s command paper last July, is not something we could support. It has been opposed by all parties in Northern Ireland, and, crucially, by victims and survivors. We have also cautioned very strongly against unilateral action by the UK Government in this most sensitive space.
The Taoiseach has conveyed these concerns to Prime Minister Johnson, and at every available opportunity I have underlined this message to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
In engagements with my EU counterparts, I have made clear the Government’s position when I update them on the latest developments with respect to Northern Ireland. We have also been very clear in our interventions in the Council of Europe that the rule of law and the protections afforded by the European Convention on Human Rights must apply equally to everyone and must be upheld, and this principle is at the core of the Stormont House framework. I would note that the UN Special Rapporteur has expressed their grave concerns with regard to the UK’s proposals, as has the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.
We have also been engaging with US contacts in the Administration and Congress on this issue. We have made clear that the proposal for a Statute of Limitations is not one that we could support.
In 2014, together with the UK Government and the parties in Northern Ireland, we reached the Stormont House Agreement which provided for a balanced and comprehensive framework to address the legacy of the past. We have consistently said that we are ready to engage with concerns or issues to do with the implementation of the Stormont House agreement but any such changes must be discussed and agreed by the parties and both Governments. It is vital that any approach is collective if it is to work, and crucially, that it meets both the needs of victims and our shared international human rights obligations.
