Lord Hain (Lab)

My Lords, I welcome the statement that my noble friend has just made, as well as the Statement from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the primary legislation that the Government are introducing. The previous legacy Act was never going to be sustainable. I never thought that the noble Lord, Lord Caine, who was very open to discussion on that Act, for which I thank him, was a 300% advocate for it. Its immunity provisions were opposed by every victims’ group and political party, so it is good that it is being repealed. I have two specific points. On the legacy commission, I would like some clarification on the welcome reference in the Statement to “learning from Operation Kenova”. That operated to criminal justice standards, which meant that you could in principle refer cases for prosecution, although it was very difficult given their longevity over many decades and the difficulty of finding sustainable evidence. Is that what “learning from Operation Kenova” means? Secondly, the commission has not enjoyed support on a cross-community basis from the different victims’ groups or the parties. What does the appointment of codirectors for investigation mean? Is it designed to give it some kind of independent authority and oversight? I would welcome it if that were the case, because that would enhance its credibility.