On 4 December 2024, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced the Government’s next steps to ‘repeal and replace’ the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.  The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Inquiry into “The Government's new approach to addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland” will examine the Government’s outlined approach, which includes a commitment to restart civil cases and to legislate on inquests, information disclosure and the powers of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).  It will ask whether the Government’s proposals deliver for victims, survivors and their families, and also explore areas where the Government’s plans remain unclear, such as on its approach to reconciliation.

Mitchell Institute Deputy Director Professor Louise Mallinder and Mitchell Institute Fellow: Legacy Professor Anna Bryson submitted written evidence to the inquiry.  This evidence examines what steps should the UK government should take to facilitate an effective process for reconciliation.  It draws on research that they have conducted for a forthcoming article in European Human Rights Law Review.  

Read the written evidence here.

 

Professor Louise Mallinder

Professor Mallinder is the Deputy Director and Theme Lead for Legacy at the Mitchell Institute. Louise is also Professor of Law at the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast.  Her research interests relate to the fields of international human rights law, international criminal law, and law and politics in political transitions.

 

Professor Anna Bryson

Anna Bryson is a Professor in the School of Law and a Fellow at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. She was appointed Director of Research for QUB Law in 2023.  Her most recent research has developed at the intersection of socio-legal studies, transitional justice and oral history.