Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the proposed Legacy Commission is transparent and accountable, with investigations that deliver meaningful outcomes for victims and their families.

Through the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, the Government is putting in place a fundamentally reformed independent Legacy Commission, with stronger investigative functions, a new governance structure, a robust conflict of interest framework, and an amended disclosure regime.

The Troubles Bill places a statutory duty on the Legacy Commission to ensure that the approach to dealing with Northern Ireland’s past is balanced, proportionate, transparent, fair and equitable. A core function of the Commission will be to carry out investigations and to publish findings of those investigations.

The Bill’s new accountability arrangements include an independent oversight board, statutory victims and survivors group, and regular independent review of the Commission’s performance of its functions.

Following the Government's amendment at Committee Stage, the Commission will also be subject to scrutiny by the HMICFRS, who will inspect the efficiency and effectiveness of its investigative function. The Government is confident these measures will deliver answers to victims and families who have waited so long for the truth.