Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 52588 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, what his Department's planned timeline is to complete its exploration of lawful measures to prevent (a) Gerry Adams and (b) others interned without trial in the 1970s receiving compensation following the proposed repeal of sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

The original Supreme Court ruling in this case was in 2020, and in February 2024 the High Court in Northern Ireland found the provisions in S.46 and 47 of the Legacy Act 2023, which concerned Interim Custody Orders, to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), alongside other provisions such as those relating to immunity from prosecution.

In line with our commitment, the Government tabled a draft Remedial Order in December 2024 to repeal parts of the Act that were found to be incompatible by the Northern Ireland Courts. The Government will bring forward legislation to make further changes when Parliamentary time allows.