Hilary Benn review into ICRIR triggered by 'get-the-veterans lobby' and shows 'dismantling' of body has begun, say campaigners
A government review which found flaws in NI’s Troubles legacy investigations body was triggered by the "get-the-veterans lobby" and indicates that its "dismantling" has already begun, campaigners have claimed.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn last week published outline findings of a review he commissioned into the The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), flagging up concerns about governance and culture in the organisation.
Launched by the Tory government in 2024 under former Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan and former senior PSNI officer Peter Sheridan and based on the 2023 NI Legacy Act.
The ICRIR is open to investigating allegations against republicans, loyalists and the UK and Irish states. However the Labour government has promised to reform it as part of a package agreed with the Irish Government.
Mr Benn said complaints had been made to his office about the ICRIR.
"Following a number of concerns about corporate effectiveness and culture raised directly with the Northern Ireland Office, [senior civil servant] Peter May was jointly commissioned by the NIO and the ICRIR Board to deliver a review of the corporate effectiveness and cultural health of the ICRIR," he said in a ministerial statement.
"His findings, submitted to me at the end of February, identified that the organisation is facing a number of problems resulting, in his view, from a combination of the 2023 Legacy Act itself, internal governance shortcomings and the culture of the organisation at senior levels."
He added that he has now established "a joint ICRIR-NIO oversight committee to ensure that the review’s recommendations are addressed".
He also plans a performance review of ICRIR, as required by the legislation it is founded on.
Sir Declan Morgan welcomed the report - but also defended the body.
“We are a developing organisation and the independent review was jointly commissioned to provide a clear, objective assessment of the ICRIR’s corporate effectiveness and cultural health," he said. “The review recognises real strengths, however as with any newly established organisation growing at pace, it also identifies areas where improvement is required."
Legacy campaigner Jeff Dudgeon, of the Malone House Group, said the review "suggests powerful forces have been working to undermine the organisation".
Mr Dudgeon said it was important to know know who raised the concerns and what they consisted of. A source close to Government said the concerns were raised by officials in NIO and from within ICRIR.
Mr Dudgeon added: "The installation of a joint oversight committee with the NIO indicates the dismantling of the work of Sir Declan Morgan and Investigations Commissioner Peter Sheridan has already commenced."
Senior barrister Austen Morgan, also with the Malone House Group, said there was "nothing fundamentally wrong with the design or execution of the commission" but that the problem was that the Labour government has "an alternative legacy policy" to the Tories who designed it.
However he was "surprised that the get-the-veterans-lobby have found a way into a bureaucratic organisation" to cause "sufficient dissent" to force a formal review of it, he said.