In the Queen’s Speech (2022) the Government committed to bring forward legislation on Northern Ireland legacy issues that would provide “better outcomes for victims, survivors and their families, giving veterans the protections they deserve and focusing on information recovery and reconciliation, There is strong support for this Bill from UK Veterans Groups, Members across the House and the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement also support it. Unfortunately I did not get chance to speak in full however, I did intervene three times. You can read my entire speech below.
I am proudly active in supporting our Armed Forces and I am glad to be standing here today supporting this Bill. It is a win for this Government and most importantly a step in the right direction for our veterans who served in the Troubles.
As history dictates, achieving a consensus on how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles has proven difficult.
I hope with the passing of this Bill our military personnel who served there will feel a sense of relief knowing that this Government supports them and wishes to put an end to their mindless and damaging prosecution. I sincerely hope that this Bill will allow them to breathe deeply and continue their life away from the unrelenting shadows of the Troubles.
The crux of this Bill is an attempt to deal with more than a thousand unsolved killings relating to the Troubles and my heart goes out to the families of these victims who are left asking questions and reasonably want accountability for these actions.
However, often ‘A Legacy’ is an emotive, complex, and thorny issue and the legacy of the Troubles is no different, it is all of this and more.
Forty years on from the Troubles, and twenty four years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement we are still conscious of that dark and difficult period in our country’s history.
But we cannot continue as we are, damaging the lives of our soldiers who served there and who were operating under the mantle of peace.
A constituent of mine in Brecon and Radnorshire continues to live in fear of being prosecuted for their actions in the Troubles. The anxiety they feel when another solicitor's letter threatening investigation periodically hits the floor of their porch is extreme and has damaged their quality of life severely.
We must not let this continue.
A central tenet of this Bill involves immunity from prosecution for those who co-operate with investigations or reviews run by the newly formed ICRIR (the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery).
I know that resolving the treatment of Veterans of the Troubles is of great shared importance and has been a commitment our Prime Minister made in 2019 when he was elected and further highlighted by the Northern Ireland Office in 2018 and the years after.
This proposed Bill will ensure that immunity is provided to individuals who cooperate with the ICRIR. Cooperation and immunity will ensure that we can end the cycle of investigations which is delivering neither justice nor closure for a large number of victims' families, and bring an end to the prosecution of retired soldiers over their actions during the Troubles.
Today we are speaking following a successful Armed Forces week celebrating our dedicated soldiers and veterans. This time last year, also during Armed Forces week, I asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the harassment of former British soldiers will end?
It is a meaningful and reflective moment to be standing here today supporting this Bill that will, at last, bring closure to many families, provide victims with answers and justice, and give the necessary protections to our important and valued Veterans.
I am grateful to my colleagues for speaking so eloquently on this debate.
I am proudly active in supporting our Armed Forces and I am glad to be standing here today supporting this Bill, which, as my Right Hon. Friend (INSERT NAME) has alluded to, is a win for this Government and most importantly a step in the right direction for our veterans who served in the Troubles.
As history dictates, achieving a consensus on how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles has proven difficult.
I hope with the passing of this Bill our military personnel who served there will feel a sense of relief knowing that this Government supports them and wishes to put an end to their mindless and damaging prosecution. I sincerely hope that this Bill will allow them to breathe deeply and continue their life away from the unrelenting shadows of the Troubles.
The crux of this Bill is an attempt to deal with more than a thousand unsolved killings relating to the Troubles and my heart goes out to the families of these victims who are left asking questions and reasonably want accountability for these actions.
However, often ‘A Legacy’ is an emotive, complex, and thorny issue and the legacy of the Troubles is no different, it is all of this and more.
Forty years on from the Troubles, and twenty four years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement we are still conscious of that dark and difficult period in our country’s history.
But we cannot continue as we are, damaging the lives of our soldiers who served there and who were operating under the mantle of peace.
A constituent of mine in Brecon and Radnorshire continues to live in fear of being prosecuted for their actions in the Troubles. The anxiety they feel when another solicitor's letter threatening investigation periodically hits the floor of their porch is extreme and has damaged their quality of life severely.
We must not let this continue.
A central tenet of this Bill involves immunity from prosecution for those who co-operate with investigations or reviews run by the newly formed ICRIR (the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery).
I know that resolving the treatment of Veterans of the Troubles is of great shared importance and has been a commitment our Prime Minister made in 2019 when he was elected and further highlighted by the Northern Ireland Office in 2018 and the years after.
This proposed Bill will ensure that immunity is provided to individuals who cooperate with the ICRIR. Cooperation and immunity will ensure that we can end the cycle of investigations which is delivering neither justice nor closure for a large number of victims' families, and bring an end to the prosecution of retired soldiers over their actions during the Troubles.
Today we are speaking following a successful Armed Forces week celebrating our dedicated soldiers and veterans. This time last year, also during Armed Forces week, I asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the harassment of former British soldiers will end?
It is a meaningful and reflective moment to be standing here today supporting this Bill that will, at last, bring closure to many families, provide victims with answers and justice, and give the necessary protections to our important and valued Veterans.