Secretary of State announces ICRIR Chief Commissioner
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has appointed The Rt Hon Sir Declan Morgan to be Chief Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has identified The Rt Hon Sir Declan Morgan to be appointed Chief Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
The appointment will take place following the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill receiving Royal Assent and establishment of the ICRIR, taking account of any further considerations and final requirements of Parliament.
The ICRIR is a key component of the Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, which represents the Government’s pledge to address the extremely complex and sensitive legacy of Northern Ireland’s past. It is being established as an arm’s length body that will operate independently of government.
Sir Declan, a former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, will begin work from early next month to identify other Commissioners and to consider how the new Commission will carry out its role. He will lead the process to recruit the Commissioner for Investigations. That role is currently advertised, seeking the broadest possible field of experienced candidates, and subject to fair and open competition, with appointment on merit. In light of the announcement of the Chief Commissioner, the deadline will be extended until 01 June to allow him to lead the appointment process and form a panel.
Confirming the announcement via a written ministerial statement to Parliament, Mr Heaton-Harris said:
Sir Declan brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland from 2009-2021. A hallmark of his distinguished career has been his commitment to addressing Northern Ireland’s past. I am confident that he will bring the highest level of experience, expertise and integrity to this post which will help build public confidence in the ICRIR.
Notes to Editors:
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill establishes a new body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (“the ICRIR”). The ICRIR is to be led by a Board consisting of a number of Commissioners, which will have collective responsibility for setting the strategic direction of the ICRIR to enable it to deliver its functions which are:
- To carry out reviews of deaths that were caused by conduct forming part of the Troubles;
- To carry out reviews of other harmful conduct forming part of the Troubles;
- To produce reports on the findings of each of the reviews of deaths and other harmful conduct;
- To determine whether to grant persons immunity from prosecution for serious or connected Troubles-related offences other than Troubles-related sexual offences;
- To refer deaths that were caused by conduct forming part of the Troubles, and other harmful conduct forming part of the Troubles, to prosecutors; and
- To produce a record of deaths that were caused by conduct forming part of the Troubles.
The Bill has its final day of the Committee stage in the House of Lords today and will then proceed to Report Stage.
The UK Government recognises the need for the ICRIR to have credibility, expertise and legitimacy so that effective reviews can be carried out and information provided to people or their families as soon as possible. It acknowledges the strength of feeling that the independence of the organisation must be underscored.
In many cases families have waited for decades for comprehensive information about the death of their loved ones. The UK Government’s aim therefore is for the ICRIR to be operational as soon as possible after Royal Assent in order to start delivering for society in Northern Ireland.
Further detail about the ICRIR and the selection process for Commissioner appointments can be found here.
The Rt Hon Sir Declan Morgan - Biography
Sir Declan Morgan was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1976 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1993. Between 2002 and 2004, he was Senior Crown Counsel for Northern Ireland. He also served for a time as Judge-In-Residence at the School of Law of Queen’s University Belfast.
In 2004, Sir Declan was appointed a judge of the High Court and knighted. In 2007, he was appointed to the Family Division of the Court, and in 2008 moved to hearing cases for judicial review. He succeeded Sir Brian Kerr as Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland on 3 July 2009. Sir Declan retired as Lord Chief Justice in July 2021.
In August 2021, Sir Declan was appointed a Supplementary Panel member of the UK Supreme Court. In May 2022 he was appointed by the Prime Minister as a Judicial Commissioner to support the work of Sir Brian Leveson, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner.