Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the (a) financial and (b) legal liabilities of repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Act 2023 (the Act) was almost universally opposed in Northern Ireland. A number of its key provisions, including those relating to the immunity scheme, have been found to be unlawful by the domestic courts. Ongoing litigation regarding the Act has incurred significant cost to the public purse and I regularly take advice on these matters.

Officials in the Northern Ireland Office and His Majesty’s Treasury are in regular contact about the Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Act, as with any other process of policy development.