Abercorn: severely injured victim led fight for Troubles pension payment

Jennifer McNern, then aged 21, was enjoying a coffee with her sister Rosaleen, 22, when the bomb exploded under a nearby table.

They had been in Belfast city centre on March 4, 1972 shopping for material for Rosaleen’s wedding dress.

Jennifer lost both her legs while Rosaleen lost both legs, her right arm and an eye.

Without the legal protections in place today, wheelchair users in the 1970s and 80s faced enormous difficulties using public transport and holding down employment in workplaces with no disabled access or suitable facilities.

The pension battle was eventually won when the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme opened for applications in August last year.

Eligible recipients will be in line for payments ranging from between £2,000 and £10,000 a year.

The scheme covers injuries related to violent acts carried out between 1966 and 2010.

Launching her legal action in August 2020 - challenging delays in setting up the scheme - Jennifer described the lack of action by the Stormont executive as “devastating”.

She said: “All we ever wanted was to be treated with respect and dignity and not be left as the part of the forgotten legacy of the Troubles.

“When the legislation was passed at Westminster we thought we had achieved that. But the refusal by the Executive Office to implement the legislation is devastating.”

There is a dispute between the Government and Stormont Executive over who should fund the payments.

The UK Government was insisting that Stormont that should pay but ministers in Belfast insisted the Treasury should contribute since the scheme would be open to victims who live in Great Britain.

Jennifer added: “It shows how little the Executive Office thinks of severely injured victims and survivors that they were not even going to let us know that the scheme was not going to be implemented.

“We were told nothing until days before we were due to submit applications. We feel like we are being treated with contempt.”

The Stormont stand-off with Westminster over who should fund the pension was eventually ended in April 2021 when Northern Ireland’s most senior judge issued an ultimatum for the Executive Office to either agree to fund the scheme or be ordered to act.

Confirmation that the long-running saga was at an end came when the necessary assurances were given.

A letter sent to the court on behalf of the Executive Office stated: “The First Minister, Deputy First Minister, the Justice Minister and Finance Minister, being mindful that the victims and survivors who will be recipients of the payment should not be distressed or concerned, acknowledge that the payment is an entitlement as indicated by the court, and regardless of whether it comes from Westminster or from our block grant, it will be paid when it is due.”

READ: Abercorn: cafe bomb claimed lives of two young women and maimed others

READ: wedding dress search ended in tragedy for inseparable sisters

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