Fr. McManus, Raymond McCord, and                                                                                                                                                  Congressman Richie Neal.  Capitol Hill. 2009.

Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

IRISH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING

Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus

“Famed Belfast Protestant victims campaigner Raymond McCord is leading a strong call for the ICRIR, headed by former Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan, to be scrapped.”—Fr. Sean McManus.

The Labor government pledged to repeal the Legacy Act of  The King-in-Parliament.( ‘The King-in-Parliament’— or Monarch in Parliament or Crown in Parliament— is the official, formal expression used to describe the British legislature, composed of the Sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons.

It helps to remind us all that no Bill can become an Act without the Royal Assent—in this case, the assent of King Charles III).

Though the Labor government  pledged to repeal the Legacy Act of the King-in-Parliament, Secretary of State Hilary Benn has stated that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) will be retained.

The Court of Appeal ruled on Friday, September 20, 2024, that the ICRIR is incapable of conducting human rights-compliant investigations into killings.

Senior judges held that the ICRIR cannot ensure effective participation for family victims.

Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan ruled: “We find that this regime offends against the proper aim of the ICRIR expressed in its written submissions that ‘the organization is made up of personnel that are able to conduct their work free of state interference’.”

The King-in-Parliament has the power to cover-up any information they deem to be in the interest of national security. This veto was also declared unlawful by the Court of Appeal.

Congress and the American Government must speak up on this key issue. —Fr. Sean McManus