The Government is strengthening the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill today, 19 October 2026, through a substantial package of amendments. These changes are designed to deliver greater truth and accountability for victims and families, while also providing protections for veterans.
The amendments include measures to strengthen the new Legacy Commission, such as setting deadlines for public bodies to hand over information. The Bill also enables the Commission to use police expertise for investigations and introduces regular inspections of its work.
During the Committee Stage, the House of Commons will debate measures to ensure legacy processes treat veterans who served in Northern Ireland fairly. These include protection from repeated investigations, protection from cold calling, and formal recognition of the operational context in which security forces served.
Sir Chris Bryant, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, stated that the legislation aims to deliver the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting added that veterans who served honourably should not face an endless cycle of reinvestigation.
The Government plans to scrap the Legacy Act’s conditional immunity scheme, fundamentally reform the Independent Commission for Reconciliation for Information Recovery (to be renamed Legacy Commission), and unlock cooperation from the Irish Government. It also intends to implement clear protections for former service personnel and establish the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR).