Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery

Lord Caine Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Caine (Con)]

My Lords, yesterday the Prime Minister promised that the Government would stop Gerry Adams receiving any compensation. Why, then, in July, did they so abruptly drop the appeal against the High Court judgment on the amendments I made to the legacy Bill that would have achieved just that and which Labour supported at the time? Was the Advocate-General for Northern Ireland consulted before that decision was taken? Until publication yesterday of the Policy Exchange paper, what proposals of their own were the Government actively working on to remedy this situation?

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his question. I think it would be helpful for people to appreciate what the Prime Minister actually said yesterday, which is that the legacy Act was

“unfit, not least because it gave immunity to hundreds of terrorists and was not supported by victims in Northern Ireland—nor, I believe, by any of the political parties in Northern Ireland. The Court found it unlawful … We will put in place a better framework. We are working on a draft remedial order and replacement legislation, and we will look at every conceivable way to prevent these types of cases from claiming damages”.—[Official Report, Commons, 15/1/25; col. 324.]

The objective in Sections 46 and 47 was right, which is why my party supported it in opposition. The method has been found to be unlawful and we are looking at every option for engagement. The noble Lord may be interested to look at the comments of the High Court. Although we did not appeal, the court chose to comment and suggested that we would have failed in our appeal. I have the exact wording which I will send to the noble Lord.