Northern Ireland Troubles Bill passes in House of Commons

In Britain, the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill has passed all stages in the House of Commons.

The final vote approved the bill by 330 votes to 178, a government majority of 152.

The bill is intended to replace the 2023 Northern Ireland Legacy Act. That act, which provided immunity from prosecution to anyone who co-operated with a fact-finding body established under the law, was ruled to be incompatible with the European convention on Human Rights.

The new bill removes blanket immunity from prosecution but has built in a number of reassurances for former members of the security forces, after strong lobbying by former members of the British army.

Most notably the final decision on whether to prosecute someone for crimes related to the Troubles will now rest with the Attorney General in London, rather than the public prosecutor in Belfast. It will also allow a limited number of inquests to proceed.

A new Legacy Commission is established to both gather information to help relatives of victims of the Troubles to find out what happened to their loved ones, but also to mount investigations if it feels they are warranted.

The Troubles Bill now moves to the House of Lords, where it is expected to undergo lengthy and detailed scrutiny.

When the bill leaves the House of Lords - but before receiving royal assent and becoming law - the Irish Government will set about drafting detailed legislation which it will bring through the Oireachtas to provide legal mechanisms for Irish co-operation with the Legacy commission and its work. This will include sharing information in the Department of Justice, along with garda and military files.

During the two days of debate on the committee and report stages of the bill, several prominent MPs from both the Conservative and Labour parties expressed doubts that the Irish Government will fulfil its obligations under an agreement on how to proceed with legacy issues signed by both governments last September.