It is now over a quarter of a century since the IRA’s evil campaign of terror ended. It left bereaved families and injured victims leading broken lives. Far too many crimes remain unsolved with their perpetrators at large, because of lack of evidence and witnesses to secure convictions in the courts.
For years discussions have been taking place in Northern Ireland to try and reach agreement on how, in the absence of successful proceedings in the courts, some relief could be brought to survivors and victims. No agreement has been achieved.
The Government has now established, amidst much controversy, an Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. Its powers are due to include the granting of conditional immunity to those who, in its considered view, give it full and truthful accounts of the crimes in which they were involved. In this way, victims, survivors and their families will be able to gain access to information about the tragedies they have suffered which they would never otherwise secure.
As Lord Caine, the Northern Ireland Minister in the Lords, has put it, the new arrangements are “capable of delivering more answers, to more people, more quickly than is possible under current structures.”
Regrettably, the Government of the Irish Republic in Dublin disagrees. Its opposition will hamper the work of reconciliation and information recovery.
Alistair Lexden raised these controversial issues in the Lords on 7 May. He said: “Are we not entitled to expect that the Irish Republic, which we have always sought to treat in a spirit of good neighbourliness, should take some steps to acknowledge that many terrorist atrocities during the Troubles in Ulster were assisted by the planning that took place in its territory and the refuge it provided to some involved in the most dreadful crimes?”
He added: “How vividly I remember the despair that the constant refusal of extradition requests brought to Airey Neave, as Conservative Spokesman on Northern Ireland, long ago when I worked for him.”
He went on to say: “Are we not also entitled to take strong exception to the Irish Government’s decision to bring a case against us in the European Court of Human Rights? Granted that the Independent Commission to deal with issues arising from the legacy of the Troubles became fully operational on 1 May, under the chairmanship of most distinguished retired judge, does my noble friend agree that the Irish Government should drop their interstate case and focus on co-operating fully with the new legacy body, setting aside the controversies that surrounded its creation?”
In reply Lord Caine said: “For many families, effective information recovery will require the co-operation of the Irish authorities, and the Government therefore encourage the Irish Government to co-operate fully with the new Commission to help provide information to families who want it.”
