Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee has declared that any significant changes to the joint UK-Irish framework on dealing with Northern Ireland's Troubles require full agreement from both governments. The statement follows UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's indication that new protections for military veterans could be added to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill currently progressing through Parliament.
The issue came to a head on Wednesday when Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson questioned Starmer in the House of Commons. Robinson challenged the Prime Minister to confirm government amendments offering specific protections for veterans, arguing previous measures «offer no protection» and «apply to terrorists too».
Starmer responded that the Bill includes «new measures designed specifically to protect veterans». He said: «These safeguards have been developed with veterans in mind, after carefully listening to their concerns.» The Prime Minister added: «We're determined to ensure protections are as fair and effective as possible, recognising the role that service personnel played in keeping people across the UK safe during the Troubles.»
Diplomatic coordination required
McEntee, speaking during her first visit to Stormont since becoming Foreign Affairs Minister late last year, emphasized the delicate balance of the September framework. She said: «I think what was agreed in September is a very fine balance and a huge amount of work went into making sure that it is representative of all voices.»
The minister stressed that victims and survivors must remain «front and centre». She stated: «We are very clear as a government that in transposing that agreement and putting it into legislation, there cannot be any significant changes that shift that balance.»
McEntee confirmed close coordination with Secretary of State Hilary Benn: «In my engagement with Secretary of State Hilary Benn we have been very clear [...] that we will work closely together and that there wouldn't be any significant changes or indeed adjustments to the legislation without full agreement of both governments.»
Legislative progress
Irish Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan has begun drafting Ireland's own legislation to implement the framework once the UK Parliament's bill passes. The joint framework, unveiled last September by London and Dublin, commits to reforming structures from the previous Conservative government's Legacy Act, including removing a controversial provision for conditional immunity for Troubles perpetrators.
Veterans' representatives had criticized initial proposals announced alongside the framework as insufficient and too broad, arguing they applied to any witness rather than specifically protecting veterans.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).