British-Irish meeting overshadowed by asylum issue

Tánaiste (Irish deputy PM) Micheál Martin has denied {that a} row is creating between Ireland and the UK over asylum seeker coverage.

He was talking in London after ministers from the 2 governments met as a part of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference on Monday.

Issues across the NI Legacy Act have been among the many primary matters mentioned.

The UK authorities and NI have been represented by NI secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and Lord Caine.

While Mr Martin was on account of be joined by the Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee, she pulled out of the convention, after a meeting with the UK house secretary James Cleverly, additionally on account of happen on Monday, was postponed at quick discover on Sunday night time.

The British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) was arrange by the Good Friday Agreement to “promote bilateral cooperation at all levels on all matters of mutual interest within the competence of the UK and Irish governments”.

During it, the ministers mentioned and welcomed the restoration of that the Northern Ireland Executive, Assembly and North South Ministerial Council.

They additionally spoke in regards to the present safety state of affairs, together with the discount of the risk stage in Northern Ireland to ‘substantial’ in March.

From Wednesday, inquests into Troubles-related killings which haven’t concluded by then will shut.

The Irish authorities is taking a case in opposition to the UK on the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

In phrases of the Omagh Inquiry, to be chaired by senior Scottish decide Lord Turnbull, Mr Martin mentioned: “I don’t want anything held back in terms of co-operation with Lord Turnbull and I want as full a co-operation as we possibly can give to that inquiry. The victims deserve no less… Our ultimate objective is to do right by the victims.”

An Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) has additionally been arrange.

The intention of this new organisation is to assist households discover out extra in regards to the circumstances of how their family members have been killed or critically injured.

Lord Caine, who has labored on amendments to the Legacy Act, mentioned on Monday that he “would reject completely any suggestion that this is about a cover-up, because the new body [ICRIR] will have access to far more state records than has ever been available to any such body in the past”.

“We want to deliver as many answers as possible,” he mentioned.

“There will be some things that will emerge that will be difficult for the UK government and the British state. Similarly there will be things which emerge which are difficult for paramilitaries and former paramilitaries.”

The a part of the act which supplied conditional immunity from prosecution for Troubles offences was struck out by the High Court in Belfast in February.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris had beforehand mentioned he was dedicated to implementing the laws.

However, the issue of immigration overshadowed Monday’s BIIC.

It is making ready laws to permit arrivals to be despatched again to the UK.

Mr Martin informed reporters at a joint press convention with Mr Heaton-Harris that the laws pertains to an settlement struck between the 2 governments after Brexit.

He mentioned the Irish authorities wished to “legislate for the decision” taken by the Irish High Court, which discovered that Ireland couldn’t designate the UK a “safe third country” and return asylum seekers due to the risk that they’d be despatched to Rwanda.

Mr Martin mentioned any agreements on migration “need to be mutual” and each governments “are committed to working together”.

“No one country can say we’re sending back if there’s not a reciprocal agreement and it works both ways,” he added.

When requested by BBC News NI a couple of “developing row” between the 2 governments, Mr Martin mentioned: “The language [being used] – ‘developing row’, ‘accused’, ‘snub’ – that wasn’t the spirit in which we conducted our discussions today, I assure you. It was a very constructive meeting and a warm meeting.”

Mr Heaton-Harris mentioned the UK should take care of the European Union as a “whole entity”.

After Monday’s meeting he mentioned the federal government’s Rwanda regulation was “clearly working and having some impact already” as a deterrent, and that the UK didn’t wish to “upset” relationships with Ireland.

Mr Heaton-Harris mentioned: “We’re bound to have politics and various debates, but I’d like to think our relationship is strong enough to deal with all those issues.”

“If this legislation is, as I believe it is and I’ve been assured it is, just setting us back in time to where we were and what we were dealing with, then I’m comfortable with that,” he added.

Even although Chris Heaton-Harris and Micheál Martin appeared fairly comfy standing subsequent to one another at Monday’s joint press convention, there isn’t any denying that there’s now a interval of friction between their respective governments.

It could effectively go well with Dublin and London to have this emerge right now, given we’re in an election 12 months, at the least within the UK – and it would go well with the governments to do a little bit of robust speaking round migration.

The Conservatives, specifically, are very a lot making an attempt to make this matter central to their marketing campaign for each time the election is known as.

When the NI Secretary was requested if the UK could be keen to take again asylum seekers who’ve travelled throughout the Irish border, he mentioned it will rely upon an settlement with the EU.

Dublin can have heard that message.