ICRIR statement following the independent review publication

Speaking following the publication of the independent review of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, Chief Commissioner Sir Declan Morgan said:

“For decades, victims, survivors and families have been deprived of accountability and justice for their loved ones. Our job is to correct that, to find the truth and where we can ensure that accountability and justice are secured.

We acknowledge and regret the shortcomings identified in the May report. As Chief Commissioner I am deeply sorry that this has happened on my watch. We are committed to addressing this as we move forward.

I want to assure those that have come to us for help, that none of the recommendations in the review relate to our pursuit of individual investigations.  The Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Dillon and others case has found the Commission is independent and rejected the challenge to our Article 2 compliance.

Our investigations teams are working tirelessly for families that have come to us for help. We will soon reach the milestone of producing our first report and once we have reached that milestone, I expect a steady flow of reports over the months and years to come.

We are a young and developing organisation, and the independent review was jointly commissioned to provide a clear, objective assessment of the ICRIR’s corporate effectiveness and cultural health.

Where the review identifies actions and recommendations, these are opportunities for growth. Where it calls for improvement, we recognise the need for change and some of this is already under way.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Read the review and action plan:

Corporate Effectiveness and Cultural Health Review of ICRIR conducted by Peter May (PDF, 518 KB, 35 pages)

The Joint NIO-ICRIR Action Plan (PDF, 237 KB, 5 pages)