The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has published the full transcript of yesterday's evidence from Sir Declan Morgan, Chief Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), and two senior colleagues.
The evidence contains important clarification of how the proposed safeguards against repeated investigations are intended to operate. It also reveals a continuing obstacle to obtaining information from the Republic of Ireland, including in cases involving murdered service personnel.
The following points stand out from the evidence:
1. Repeated investigations
Sir Alec Shelbrooke questioned Morgan directly about the Bill's provisions intended to prevent unnecessary duplication of earlier investigations.
Morgan explained that existing statements and evidence from previous investigations should provide the starting point for the Commissions's purposes. Investigators should have a reason before returning to witnesses decades later.
Asked whether there was value in interviewing people again after 50 years, Morgan replied:
"I cannot see that there is value if you already have an account of what people say happened at the time."
He qualified this by explaining that further questioning could be justified where a central participant had never been interviewed, or relevant new material had emerged. He also acknowledged the vulnerability of recollections after such long periods.
This is a useful, explicit statement from the person responsible for leading the Commission. It supports a proportionate approach to historic investigations and addresses a central concern of Operation Banner veterans.
It is not an undertaking that previously interviewed veterans can never be questioned again. Nor does the testimony establish a separate statutory compelling-new-evidence threshold. It also doesn't bind prosecutors or criminal courts.
Nevertheless, Morgan's interpretation of the anti-duplication provisions is worth noting as far as it goes.
2. Irish Government cooperation or lack therof – Warrenpoint specifically mentioned
Morgan told the Committee that the Commission had made 11 requests to An Garda Síochána covering 31 deaths but had received no substantive material.
He referred to approximately 500 deaths associated with the border and specifically mentioned the Warrenpoint bombing, in which 18 soldiers were killed in 1979.
He explained that the Commission currently could not be confident of obtaining relevant information from the Republic of Ireland. He considered that a political agreement, supported by legislation on both sides of the border, would probably be necessary.
This is particularly relevant to service families seeking answers about terrorist attacks, and to veterans injured by terrorist action, not simply to veterans concerned about renewed investigations into their own actions.
In the Republic's defence, the ICRIR was not directly part of the Good Friday Agreement and was set up years later under the 2023 legislation, but their position appears hypocritical in this matter.
Morgan also distinguished the ICRIR from the Operation Kenova investigation ("Stakeknife" etc), explaining that the Commission is not itself a law-enforcement agency and cannot use international letters of request in the same way as such agencies.
Our Irish friends and neighbours have no right to press the United Kingdom on these issues while they themselves appear to be failing to fulfil their obligations.
3. Attorney General's consent to prosecutions
Questioned about the Government's new requirement for Attorney General consent to serious Troubles-related prosecutions, Morgan said that there was no inherent reason for this to produce a different result from a Public Prosecution Service decision.
However, he acknowledged that some people would perceive the provision differently, and he declined to take a political position on its retention.
He also referred to the possibility of judicial review.
4. Existing inquests and Commission investigations
Morgan was questioned about the prospect of two parallel systems: the new Legacy Commission and existing coronial proceedings.
He suggested that investigations and inquisitorial hearings should be more closely aligned, allowing established facts to be carried forward without unnecessary repetition. He acknowledged that some legislative adjustments might be needed.
This is potentially relevant to the earlier debate over transferring outstanding inquests to the Commission, but no amendment was announced during the session.
5. Resources and practical delivery
The evidence also disclosed considerable pressure on the Commission's capacity:
- 189 operational investigative and support staff, against an assessed requirement of more than 400.
- 159 investigations underway following eligibility assessment, with another 57 awaiting progression.
- A Treasury business case seeking £628 million, including the existing £232 million allocation.
- Three of the 19 recommendations from the Peter May review of the ICRIR still being implemented .
These figures matter because statutory safeguards and victims' rights must ultimately be delivered by an adequately resourced organisation.
Our primary source for the above is Northern Ireland Affairs Committee – oral evidence, 11 November 2026, HC 792, questions 1–53,
Parliamentary position
The Bill's parliamentary record continues to show House of Lords Second Reading as the next stage. HL Bill 59, dated 21 October, remains the current consolidated text. No subsequent Lords amendment paper or substantive legislative vote was identified. The Northern Ireland Office's latest announcements do not alter the Bill.
BAFF assessment
The next important opportunity for clarification is the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee's 18 November evidence session, when Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant is scheduled to appear. Questions about the practical meaning of the anti-duplication safeguards and Irish information-sharing arrangements would be especially relevant.
UPDATE 12 NOV: The UK Parliament's Northern Ireland Troubles Bill stages register has been updated today and now lists Wednesday 2 December 2026 for House of Lords Second Reading. The date remains subject to change.