Latest news with #IndependentReportingCommission
BBC News
01-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Inheritance tax change 'immoral', Kemi Badenoch says
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said that government changes to inheritance tax for farmers is "immoral".Speaking on a visit to a farm in Bangor, Co Down, she described the tax rise as a "family farms tax" and called for it to be reversed. In her autumn budget, the chancellor capped the Agricultural Property Relief at £1m, with anything over that being taxed at 20%, half the normal rate of inheritance government insists the majority of farms in Northern Ireland will be unaffected. The change will be introduced from April government is adamant that its policy will not change. Other reliefs may help reduce the amount owed, but concern remains from Fairview dairy farm near Bangor, the Conservative Party leader said: "We want farmers to know that we are with you, we understand."Taxing those assets to force farmers to often give up their land and their children or their grandchildren to not continue in this way of life, I believe, is immoral."We are doing everything we can to fight the family farms tax." 'No space for paramilitaries' Badenoch also added that "every possible lever" should be used to remove paramilitary groups and "negative criminal activity from the communities who are suffering".In a joint move, London and Dublin are to appoint an independent expert to assess whether there is merit in beginning a process which could bring about the disbandment of paramilitary followed a recommendation from the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) which was set up to monitor paramilitary Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has insisted paramilitaries will not be paid by the government to "disband".He defended the government's decision to explore the possibility of formal engagement with paramilitary said: "We looked at this proposal when we were in government."We didn't bring it forward because one of the things we must remember is there is no space for paramilitary organisations."We need to make sure that they are not benefitting from the harm they cause to communities all over Northern Ireland," she added.
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Harris reiterates support for Omagh public inquiry in Benn meeting
Ireland's deputy premier Simon Harris has reiterated his Government's commitment to support the Omagh Bombing Inquiry during a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn in Dublin. The meeting, their first to be held in person, featured discussions on political stability in Northern Ireland and the UK Government's controversial Legacy Act. Mr Harris said their conversation was 'warm and constructive'. The Tanaiste said: 'We welcomed the ongoing political stability in Northern Ireland and agreed on the need for Northern Ireland's devolved institutions to ensure that they deliver for the people of this island.' He added: 'A priority for both governments in the period ahead is removing the influence of paramilitaries on society in Northern Ireland. 'We discussed the report of the Independent Reporting Commission, and our joint announcement that we will proceed with the appointment of an independent expert to carry out a short scoping and engagement exercise to assess whether there is merit in, and support for, a formal process of engagement to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment. 'We stressed our common understanding that there is no predetermined outcome to this work, that the process is in no way about providing funding to paramilitary groups, and that policing and criminal justice efforts to tackle paramilitary and organised crime of course need to be maintained in full.' The Tanaiste said there had been a 'substantive and forward‑looking exchange' on legacy issues. He said: 'I reiterated the Government's commitment to play our full part in legacy processes, including facilitating and supporting the Omagh Inquiry, and updated the Secretary of State on our engagement with the inquiry to date.' Elsewhere on Wednesday, the Irish Justice Minister said he had 'concerns' about establishing a separate inquiry into the Omagh bombing in the Republic of Ireland. However, Jim O'Callaghan said the Irish Government would co-operate with the UK inquiry. 'What happened in Omagh was horrific,' he said. 'My department is co-operating with the Omagh Inquiry. We're finalising a memorandum of understanding in respect of ensuring that any relevant evidence that we have in the South is provided to the inquiry. 'I have concerns about establishing a separate inquiry down here. There's one inquiry which has been conducted at present, the Irish Government is going to co-operate with it, we are co-operating with it. I think that's where all our focus should be.'
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harris reiterates support for Omagh public inquiry in Benn meeting
Ireland's deputy premier Simon Harris has reiterated his Government's commitment to support the Omagh Bombing Inquiry during a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn in Dublin. The meeting, their first to be held in person, featured discussions on political stability in Northern Ireland and the UK Government's controversial Legacy Act. Mr Harris said their conversation was 'warm and constructive'. The Tanaiste said: 'We welcomed the ongoing political stability in Northern Ireland and agreed on the need for Northern Ireland's devolved institutions to ensure that they deliver for the people of this island.' He added: 'A priority for both governments in the period ahead is removing the influence of paramilitaries on society in Northern Ireland. 'We discussed the report of the Independent Reporting Commission, and our joint announcement that we will proceed with the appointment of an independent expert to carry out a short scoping and engagement exercise to assess whether there is merit in, and support for, a formal process of engagement to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment. 'We stressed our common understanding that there is no predetermined outcome to this work, that the process is in no way about providing funding to paramilitary groups, and that policing and criminal justice efforts to tackle paramilitary and organised crime of course need to be maintained in full.' The Tanaiste said there had been a 'substantive and forward‑looking exchange' on legacy issues. He said: 'I reiterated the Government's commitment to play our full part in legacy processes, including facilitating and supporting the Omagh Inquiry, and updated the Secretary of State on our engagement with the inquiry to date.' Elsewhere on Wednesday, the Irish Justice Minister said he had 'concerns' about establishing a separate inquiry into the Omagh bombing in the Republic of Ireland. However, Jim O'Callaghan said the Irish Government would co-operate with the UK inquiry. 'What happened in Omagh was horrific,' he said. 'My department is co-operating with the Omagh Inquiry. We're finalising a memorandum of understanding in respect of ensuring that any relevant evidence that we have in the South is provided to the inquiry. 'I have concerns about establishing a separate inquiry down here. There's one inquiry which has been conducted at present, the Irish Government is going to co-operate with it, we are co-operating with it. I think that's where all our focus should be.'
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Paramilitaries 'won't be paid to leave'
Secretary of State Hilary Benn has insisted paramilitaries will not be paid by the government to "disband".But he defended the government's decision to explore the possibility of formal engagement with paramilitary a joint move London and Dublin are to appoint an independent expert to assess whether there is merit in beginning a process which could bring about the disbandment of paramilitary followed a recommendation from the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) which was set up to monitor paramilitary activity. But the move has been heavily criticised by Justice Minister Naomi Long who said it was "flawed" and would only serve to give paramilitaries "legitimacy in some communities". 'Nursemaid for paramilitaries' TUV leader Jim Allister also criticised the plan in the House of Commons on Wednesday describing the independent expert as the "nursemaid for paramilitaries".He claimed such groups had "taken successive governments for a ride" over talk of transitioning and "pocketed millions along the way"."When is this pandering going to come to an end?" he leader Claire Hanna also questioned the move and warned against a "pay day for paramilitaries".But Hilary Benn ruled out any potential payoff for paramilitary told MPs: "There is no question of paying anybody any money to disband."He also defended the decision to appoint an independent expert to carry out a "scoping exercise" to find out if it was worth having a formal engagement process."The fact is that 26 years after paramilitaries should have left the stage they are still here and are still causing harm to communities," he said."The proposal from the IRC is to go and inquire are there some who do want to leave the stage and if there is merits in having a process." Justice Minister Naomi Long has said that formal engagement has been tried before and "has not worked".Speaking on the BBC's Talkback programme, the Alliance Party leader said the situation now is "a number of organised groups who have transitioned themselves into organised crime"."Our response has to take account of that," she added that the suggestion that the government might enter formal engagement with these groups would "give them a form of legitimacy that they would not offer for example to a burglar, to a drug dealer, to an extortionist, to a racketeer, to a fraudster". Mitchell Reiss, a former US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland and a commissioner on the panel of the IRC, said that paramilitarism has "proved more persistent and pernicious" than people imagined at the time of the Good Friday paramilitarism as a "blight on certain communities", he said that it has continued to impact economic growth and a "sense of a shared community" in Northern said that "transition has not worked in its current configuration".Reiss said that the direct engagement would enable an "[assessment] of these group's willingness to disband", adding that it would be a "scoping exercise".He said the IRC's hope was that this process of engagement "will come back with a recommendation to the governments as to whether or not they want to set up a formal negotiating process that can move these people off the pitch"."It's more complicated than them just going away, as wonderful as that would be."Reiss said the IRC has been "consistently clear that we're not talking about paying people to go away". SDLP leader Claire Hanna said there was a sense among the public that "we have soft soaped these guys for years". She said that what "most people see" from paramilitaries is "the racism [and] the sectarianism"."We cannot legitimatise and elevate and pretend that these are conquering armies that we have to help reintegrate into society," she said. Ulster Unionist Party MLA Doug Beattie said that paramilitaries "shouldn't exist".However, he said that the people in these groups are "people who want to do something positive for their community", people who are "inactive" and "those who want to line their pockets with money and criminality". "The reality then... is there has to be different ways of dealing with these groups."Beatie said that the government's approach should involve "policing and justice" alongside "community transition". BBC News NI have contacted Sinn Féin to ask them for a comment.
Reuters
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
UK, Ireland may hold direct talks with remaining N.Ireland paramilitaries
BELFAST, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The British and Irish governments will explore whether to have talks with paramilitary groups that are still active and involved in crime in Northern Ireland to encourage them to disband, Britain's minister for the region said on Tuesday. While the 1998 Good Friday Agreement largely ended 30 years of sectarian violence and led to the disarming of large Irish Republican and pro-British loyalist militant groups, splinter factions still engage in paramilitary and criminal activities. The Independent Reporting Commission (IRC), which monitors paramilitary groups, said on Tuesday that such groups continue to exert control over some communities, including through intimidation, financial extortion and drug dealing. It repeated a recommendation that the two governments, which are the guarantors of the peace deal, should directly engage with paramilitary groups. The governments agreed to appoint an independent expert to carry out a short scoping exercise to assess whether there is merit in such a formal process. "I want to be clear that this is not the start of a formal process itself," Britain's Northern Ireland minister Hilary Benn said in a statement. "I also want to be clear that no financial offer will be made to paramilitary groups or to the individuals involved in them in exchange for an end to violence and ongoing harms." Britain's MI5 intelligence agency last year lowered the threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic terrorism to "substantial", meaning an attack is likely, from "severe", which meant an attack was highly likely. In its seventh annual report on Tuesday, the IRC said that while there was a drop in shootings, bombings and paramilitary-style assaults last year, with political and policing actions having a real impact, paramilitary groups continue to persist and "remain a real concern".
