Justice Minister warns Stormont ‘cannot continue to absorb’ Legacy costs

Stormont’s justice department “cannot continue to absorb” Legacy costs, Minister Naomi Long has said.

Responding to a review that described a “toxic” culture inside the body tasked to investigate unresolved Troubles cases, the Justice Minister said the Government’s Legacy Commission “needs to be adequately funded, or it will run aground”.

A review of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), carried out by former Northern Ireland Civil Service permanent secretary Peter May, found the organisation has been “facing significant problems” stemming from its senior leadership team.

All UK police investigations into Troubles-related killings were shut down in May 2024 under the previous Conservative government’s Legacy Act and the ICRIR was established.

Labour’s Bill, agreed as part of a joint framework with the Irish Government, will put in place a reformed Legacy Commission with enhanced powers.

During Justice questions at Stormont, SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone asked Ms Long if she had a comment on the findings of the report.

She said the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) need to “look very carefully at the governance arrangements because ultimately this beast of the ICRIR is one of their creation” and ensure recommendations for improvement are implemented.

“What draws my eye, I confess, is the fact that even though it is funded by annual managed expenditure, which, as you know, is much more flexible than DEL (Departmental Expenditure Limit) resource budgets, there has been a struggle for the ICRIR to be able to manage their case load within the boundaries of their finance,” she said.

“And that speaks to a longstanding problem within the Department of Justice, where we have had to absorb the cost of legacy now, since the beginning.

“The PSNI estimate it to be around £100 million for example, for legacy litigation alone.

Mr McGlone further asked if Ms Long would be making representations to Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn in her capacity as justice minister.

She clarified that the ICRIR sits outside the Department of Justice, adding: “I had no part in the setting up of the previous legacy arrangements.

“In fact, both I and my department raised considerable concerns about those arrangements, and so it would not be within my purview as minister to raise those issues with the Secretary of State, but the member can rest assured that I will be raising them with the Secretary of State, albeit not as the minister of justice.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Government is putting a significant amount of money into funding legacy institutions, with a total package of £250 million.

“Alongside that, the Government has provided the Northern Ireland Executive with a record £19.3 billion per year, on average, over the Spending Review period – including an increased additional security funding of £113 million for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

“It is for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider how to appropriately support those organisations which it funds, as well as considering whether revenue-raising measures are needed to deliver additional funding if those organisations require it.”