Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to prevent those interned in Northern Ireland during the Troubles from being eligible for compensation following the repeal of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023; and, if so, when.

As the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has set out previously in answers to the Honourable Member for Stockton North and the Honourable Member for Reyleigh and Wickford (UIN 63126 and 65213), the main issue here is the application of the Carltona principle in the context of ICOs. The previous Government’s attempt to address this following the 2020 Supreme Court judgment in Adams was found by the Northern Ireland courts to be unlawful and we need to find a better way of reaffirming this principle.

The Government will therefore legislate to address this issue in forthcoming primary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.