Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)

My noble friend is absolutely right. One of the challenges of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, which is an extraordinary document that I hold so dear, is that the word “victim” is not really mentioned because it was put in the “too difficult” box. I think it is mentioned once. There is still a huge amount to be done in healing and bringing communities together. That is why we will be spending so many hours discussing the Troubles Bill to make sure that, at this final roll of the dice, we can deliver for the people of Northern Ireland and make sure that the people who need answers can get them, to help them heal and the next generations move on. One of my responsibilities is the commemorations for the Good Friday agreement at 30. I very much want them to look beyond the Good Friday agreement at what Northern Ireland looks like now and where we aspire to take it. On disclosure, the Troubles Bill will establish a fairer disclosure regime, including the introduction of the balancing exercise in Schedule 5, which will require the Secretary of State to consider whether the public interest requires the disclosure of sensitive information. The Hillsborough law Bill is a landmark piece of UK legislation that we have discussed today in your Lordships’ House. It will require public authorities and officials to assist inquiries and investigations to fulfil their objectives. This commitment to the truth and to information recovery is mirrored in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, where the reformed legacy commission will ensure a truly victim-centred approach. It is for this reason that any new inquests commenced under the Troubles Bill will be automatically in scope of the duty of candour. The processes of the legacy commission will be subject to a distinct disclosure regime. The Government are therefore considering the applicability of the duty of candour in this context.