PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Commissioner for Investigations of ICRIR [September 2023]

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Chris Heaton-Harris MP, has accepted the recommendation for Peter Sheridan to be confirmed Commissioner for Investigations designate of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

Confirming the announcement, Mr Heaton-Harris said:

“I am pleased to confirm Peter Sheridan as Commissioner for Investigations designate, following an independent recommendation from Sir Declan Morgan and his panel.

“Peter brings a wealth of senior investigative experience and I am confident he can utilise these skills to help victims of the Troubles and their families find the answers they deserve.”

The formal appointment of Mr Sheridan will only take place following the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill receiving Royal Assent and establishment of the ICRIR.

The appointment process followed a fair and open competition against criteria that were set out to Parliament.

Notes to editor

The Secretary of State accepted the recommendation from an independent panel chaired by Sir Declan Morgan, ICRIR Chief Commissioner Designate. The independent selection panel membership included:

Robert Beckley, QPM – a former Deputy Chief Constable and currently Assistant Commissioner;

Wendy Williams, CBE – His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and author of the independent Lessons Learned Review into the Home Office and its handling of events leading up to the Windrush scandal; and

David Porter – the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Chief of Staff from 2016 to 2022, having previously served as the Archbishop’s advisor on Reconciliation.

The Commissioner for Investigations, will have the full powers and privileges of a constable and will have responsibility for the ICRIR’s review functions into Troubles-related deaths and other harmful conduct.

The Commissioner for Investigations will be responsible for supervision of reviews, deciding if there should be a criminal investigation, issuing notices requiring information to be provided to the ICRIR and the referral of conduct to prosecutors if there is sufficient evidence that the conduct constitutes an offence.

The ICRIR is being established as a non-departmental public body that will operate independently of the government.