The UK and Irish governments have announced a new joint framework to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which will see the Legacy Act repealed and replaced.

The details of the framework were revealed on Friday, 19 September at Hillsborough Castle by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP and Tánaiste Simon Harris TD.

The new plan aims to provide a "fair, proportionate and transparent system" for victims' families to seek answers about the deaths of their loved ones. According to the UK government, the new legislation will end the prospect of immunity for terrorists and introduce six new protections and rights for veterans. This will ensure that veterans who "carried out their duty properly" are not subject to "endless legal uncertainty."

More than 1,100 families, including over 200 armed forces families, had investigations into the deaths of their loved ones shut down by the Legacy Act on 1 May 2024.

Key UK and Irish Government Commitments

The UK government will reform the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), strengthening its independence, governance, and powers. The body will be renamed the Legacy Commission. The UK will also:

• Repeal the immunity scheme of the Legacy Act.

• Allow a small number of inquests that were stopped to resume.

• Introduce six new rights, safeguards, and protections for veterans engaging with the legacy process.

As part of the agreement, the Irish government will: • Pass new legislation to ensure full co-operation with the new Legacy Commission.

• Establish a new legacy unit within An Garda Síochána to investigate all unresolved Troubles-related incidents in Ireland.

• Provide funding for legacy mechanisms for the first time.

The six new protections for veterans include the right to stay at home, meaning witnesses cannot be forced to travel to Northern Ireland to give evidence; protection from repeated investigations; and protection in old age, which requires the commission to consider the health and wellbeing of witnesses. Other rights include the ability to seek anonymity, protection from "cold calling," and a statutory advisory group to ensure their voice is heard.

Mr Benn said he was determined to help families find answers and described the previous government's Legacy Act as "flawed, undeliverable and widely opposed." He added that he hoped the new framework would be seen as a way forward and would be given a "fair chance" by the communities most affected by the Troubles.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns MP, said the previous act had left families and veterans in a "legal wild west" and that the new framework would allow service families "access to the truth and closure."

The two governments will also establish a new cross-jurisdictional Independent Commission for Information Recovery (ICIR), as was originally agreed under the 2014 Stormont House Agreement, to give families another means of finding out what happened to their loved ones.