Strong ties with Dublin ‘essential’ to future of Andy Burnham’s government – NI Secretary

A strong relationship with the Irish Government is “essential” to the future of UK prime minister Andy Burnham’s government, the new Northern Ireland Secretary has said on his first trip to Dublin.Chris Bryant held separate meetings with Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee and with Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan on Monday. In a short exchange with the media, Bryant, the MP for Rhondda and Ogmore in Wales, also said a strong relationship with Dublin was the “single most important thing for me”. “It’s vital to us, not least because one of the big things in Northern Ireland is resolving many of the issues that are still hanging over in relation to the Troubles.” READ MOREHe said the Westminster government needs to get to a position where the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill is passed through the houses of parliament. The Bill will replace the controversial Legacy Act introduced by the previous, Conservative government. The new legislation will unpick a central provision of the Legacy Act, which was to grant immunity from prosecution to police and paramilitaries implicated in acts of violence in the past. It will also allow the resumption of civil actions by victims and relatives, as well as the holding of inquests into historic deaths. “Having a strong relationship with the Irish Government is essential to the future of Andy Burnham’s government,” said Bryant. He said the UK government was progressing “full steam ahead” with the Troubles Bill. “There are some things we’ve got to amend to make sure we’ve got it absolutely right before it goes through to the House of Lords, and we’ll be tabling some amendments in the next few days,” he said.[ Troubles legislation will deliver ‘above all’ for victims and families, says Helen McEnteeOpens in new window ]He said the UK government and the Dublin Government would do everything needed to be able to get answers for families.“In the end, this is about many families who’ve lived for 30 years with pain and anguish and often a deep, deep sense of resentment. They need answers, and that means we’ve got to step up to the plate. The Irish Government’s got to step up to the plate, and we need to do that in lockstep,” he said. Bryant also said it was his intention to arrive at a settled multiyear budget for Northern Ireland and moveaway from what he described as “sticking plaster” solutions. McEntee, who had her first in-person meeting with Bryant, said their discussions focused on the implementation of the Joint Framework on the Legacy of the Troubles as well as political developments in Northern Ireland.“I reiterated the need for both governments to deliver on the commitments we have made under the Joint Framework and outlined the progress made by the Irish Government in this regard,” she said in a statement. “Victims and families have waited too long for truth and accountability, and I hope to see the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill progress through parliament shortly, so that both governments fully meet our commitments under the Joint Framework.”O’Callaghan, meanwhile, said he had had the opportunity to update the new Northern Ireland Secretary on progress, specifically the establishment of the Garda Troubles Legacy Liaison Unit. “On security co-operation, the secretary of state and I acknowledged the excellent cross-Border policing and security co-operation that takes place on a daily basis and its critical importance to keeping people safe in both jurisdictions, as underlined by successful policing and security operations recently,” he said.