The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has heard conflicting accounts of the culture inside the legacy investigations body ICRIR, and was told the Irish government has failed to respond to information requests about Troubles deaths.

The committee questioned Peter May, who led a review commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office that described the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) as having a "toxic", "divided" and "disrespectful" culture.

Peter Sheridan, ICRIR's Commissioner for Investigations, said that characterisation reflected only "one or two comments" and that staff had repeatedly told leadership they did not share that view. He acknowledged that clashes at senior leadership level had not always been as respectful as they could have been, and that tensions had arisen between investigators and budget-constrained management. Sir Declan Morgan, the Chief Commissioner, said some individuals had experienced a toxic atmosphere because of awareness of disputes among senior leaders over the organisation's direction.

Sheridan also disclosed that he had written eight letters to authorities in the Republic of Ireland seeking information on ten investigations, but had received no reply. Sir Declan confirmed that the Irish government has stated it will not cooperate until the UK Parliament passes the Legacy Bill containing planned reforms to the ICRIR.

MPs heard that the Irish Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, had previously said publicly that no information sharing would take place until the conclusion of the interstate legal case that Dublin is taking against the UK over legacy matters.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson told officials from the Northern Ireland Office that he had been corresponding for months about the lack of Irish cooperation, but the department had not been open about the situation. He said victims deserved equal standards of disclosure in both jurisdictions and urged an end to what he called secrecy from the Irish government.

Holly Clark, the NIO's Chief Operating Officer, said she would take the points back to her department and respond to the committee.