Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have set the bar for immunity in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill as only requiring a perpetrator to provide an account which is true to the best of their knowledge and belief.

The test for immunity, as set out in the Bill, requires an individual to make an application to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) for immunity. The panel must then be satisfied that the individual has provided an account which is true to the best of their knowledge and belief, and which describes conduct which forms part of the Troubles.

In forming a view on whether an individual’s account is true to the best of their knowledge and belief, the ICRIR must take into account any relevant information that it holds or obtains as part of that investigation. That could include information that the ICRIR obtains from witnesses or from disclosure of information from statutory agencies during the course of its investigation.

Those who do not cooperate with the ICRIR will not be granted immunity, and will remain liable to prosecution should sufficient evidence exist, or come to light.