![The SDLP's Claire Hanna said her party would push Dublin on its obligations on the Omagh [bombing] inquiry. Photograph: PA](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/33ULIROCE4WO2DC5UL7YYJWVD4.jpg?auth=67570339cc0eaaa85bd8f5bc38b589589a82782645f20d681d65f16e1be31206&smart=true&width=1024&height=683)
The Irish Government will move “swiftly” to publish its legislation to address legacy issues once the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill has become law in the UK, MPs have been told.
SDLP leader Claire Hanna said her understanding was that detailed work was under way in Dublin, and the “architecture” of the Irish legislation would be “compatible” with the processes put in place in the UK.
Speaking during the second reading of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Ms Hanna said it was “right that is delivered in parallel, it is right that it is as a partnership” and criticised the “cynicism of those who make lurid claims about what the Irish Government have or haven’t done but cry foul at any attempt to address it”.
“Publicly and privately, we will push Dublin, like we will push everyone on their obligations and omissions on this framework and on the Omagh [bombing] inquiry.
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“But we will not tolerate or dignify the distortions and the revisionism, including from many across this House, who attempt to draw equivalence between the Government of the Irish Republic and the murder machine of paramilitaries, or the systematic involvement with paramilitaries [by] London,” Ms Hanna said.
MPs were debating on Tuesday the draft legislation put forward by the UK government following the unveiling in September of a new joint framework agreed by Dublin and London to replace the controversial Legacy Act introduced in 2020.
It is broadly similar to the Stormont House Agreement of 2015 and will include an information recovery body and a Legacy Commission with the power to carry out investigations capable of leading to prosecutions.
The framework requires legislation in both jurisdictions to be implemented, with Irish legislation to follow once the UK Bill becomes law.
During a lengthy debate on Tuesday, unionist MPs outlined their opposition to the Bill on a number of grounds, including the lack of protection for British veterans and the role of the Irish Government.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the UK government’s “promise to protect veterans ... is a mirage” and there was “no specific protection for veterans within this piece of legislation, none”.
He said the Northern Secretary, Hilary Benn, had “sullied himself and this parliament by engagement with the Irish Republic”, and he and other unionist MPs accused Dublin of consistently failing to answer questions about the actions of the Irish State.
Mr Benn said the legislation would address the “unfinished business” of the Troubles and “seeks to put in place a means of dealing with legacy that can actually command broad public support in Northern Ireland, in particular for those families who have been trying to find answers for so long”.
The Bill was passed by 320 votes to 105 and now proceeds to the next stage.
