Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Ireland in relation to cooperation with the work and investigations of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.

The Joint Framework includes unprecedented information sharing commitments by the Irish Government, and we welcome the recent publication by the Irish Government of proposals for legislation that will facilitate this.

However, we are aware that the present lack of information-sharing arrangements between the ICRIR and Irish authorities is impacting a number of Commission investigations.

The Government meets regularly with the Irish Government, at both ministerial and official level, to discuss a range of legacy issues. In the course of such meetings we have raised the matter of Irish authorities co-operation and information sharing with ICRIR, in light of the Dillon judgment, which found the ICRIR capable of conducting effective and human rights compliant investigations.

While this is ultimately a matter for the Irish Government, the UK Government has been clear that it is our view that such a step would allow those cases to progress for the benefit of victims and survivors who have requested these investigations.