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Boris Johnson’s government has confirmed that it will legislate for a new process to deal with the legacy of the Troubles that will protect British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland and focus on information recovery rather than prosecutions.
But the queen’s speech outlining a new legislative programme offered few details about the plan and the British government promised to work with the Irish Government as well as Northern parties and victims’ groups as part of the process.
“It is clear that the current system for dealing with the legacy of the past is not working well for anybody, with criminal investigations increasingly unlikely to deliver successful criminal justice outcomes, and failing to obtain answers for a majority of victims and families.
“The government will introduce a legacy package that delivers better outcomes for victims, survivors and veterans, focuses on information recovery and reconciliation, and ends the cycle of investigations,” the British government said on Tuesday in a briefing note on the queen’s speech.
“This package will deliver on the commitments to Northern Ireland veterans, giving them the protections they deserve as part of a wider package to address legacy issues in Northern Ireland. Dealing with the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland must address the needs of victims and veterans together. The government will work with all relevant stakeholders, including the parties in Northern Ireland and Westminster, the Irish Government and civil society, including victims’ groups, as part of this process.”
Amnesty
Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned last week that any unilateral move away from the Stormont House Agreement, which deals with legacy issues of the Troubles, would be a “breach of trust”. This followed unattributed briefings to two British newspapers that new legislation would block prosecutions for all Troubles crimes, apart from war crimes, torture and genocide.
The effective amnesty would apply to loyalist and republican paramilitaries as well as British soldiers and last week’s reports drew condemnation from across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland.
The new legislative programme announced on Tuesday also includes measures to implement reforms of the Stormont institutions agreed in the New Decade, New Approach deal which restored the Assembly and the Executive last year. They will extend the amount of time allowed for the appointment of ministers following an election or the resignation of the First and Deputy First Ministers before an election must take place.
The petition of concern mechanism will be reformed to ensure that it can only be used to block bills that are a real threat to one community or another and the ministerial code of conduct will be strengthened.