Last week, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement called on the British Government to withdraw the legacy Bill because of the grave concerns all members of that committee had regarding the implications of that Bill. The committee will ask the Irish Government to consider inter-state litigation in the European Court of Human Rights in order to demonstrate tangible support and solidarity for victims and campaigners by sparing them the costly and arduous task of bringing individual cases to challenge the Bill. The last time such a case was taken related to the hooded men in 1971.

Will the Minister again assure the House that he will use every mechanism available to the State to ensure that the rights of victims are upheld and the rights enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement are protected, by again requesting immediate withdrawal of this reckless legislation and communicating to the British Government that failure to act will result in the Irish Government having no option but to take an inter-state case to the European Court of Human Rights?

As the Deputy pointed out, families bereaved during the Troubles continue to feel the pain and the loss, and continue to seek the truth, accountability and justice. Existing mechanisms for dealing with the legacy of the past, while not perfect, deliver important outcomes for those families, such as the vindication of a murdered loved one's innocence. In its legacy Bill, the UK Government intends to permanently close off access to these mechanisms, such as inquests, police ombudsman investigations, civil cases and police investigations, which are working for families and, importantly, demonstrating a vindication of the State's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights to investigate killings effectively. During his recent engagements with the UK Secretary of State, the Tánaiste made clear the Government's opposition to this Bill and outlined his specific and serious concerns about its provision, and will continue to do so.