Labour chairwoman of Northern Ireland committee: government needs to listen better to veterans and others on Troubles bill

Tonia Antoniazzi, herself a Labour MP, made the comments during a debate on the bill which concluded last night.

The bill passed through from its second reading to its committee stage, in the face of Northern Irish unionist and Tory opposition.

See details about that at this link.

The bill has drawn fire because some fear that by restarting Troubles inquests it will force more former soldiers to give evidence to coroners’ courts and possibly expose them to prosecution.

It is also feared that re-opening the possibility of civil lawsuits concerning the Troubles will result in the state being put in the frame for wrongdoing, but not paramilitaries.

Others criticise the bill on the grounds that it does not live up to the government’s claim to be offering new protections to veterans who will be called on to give evidence.

Ms Antoniazzi told the Commons her committee has “received nearly 80 pieces of written evidence” about the government’s legacy plans, “held eight evidence sessions with representatives of victims and survivors, veterans, retired police officers and human rights groups, and heard twice from the Secretary of State”.

She went on to add: “One question that we consistently asked those to whom we spoke was: ‘Have the Government consulted you on their plans or proposals?’

"The answer from many was that they had felt listened to, but not heard.

"I know the Secretary of State’s response has always been to say, gently, ‘They will not know whether we have listened to them until they see our proposals,’ but previous consultations – for example, the one on Stormont House – were much more comprehensive than this one.

"It now seems from many of the provisions in both the framework and the bill that ministers have indeed been listening, and I thank the Secretary of State for that.

"The fact remains, however, that if these proposals are to gain the confidence of as many communities as possible, including veterans, the government will need to listen more, bring them along and enable them to take ownership of what is being put forward, and confidence will be key.”

She also said: “I would personally urge the Secretary of State to ensure that the decision on the sensitivities and prejudice of documents held will be the decision of the Legacy Commission, and not that of the agencies who currently hold that information and need to pass it on.”

She added that “the government’s plan to widen the range of people and organisations who can refer a case to the new Legacy Commission seems sensible, but there are potential changes that could be made to the definition of ‘close family member’ which would make it more inclusive and reflective of the reality of modern family life”.

Concluding, she said: “There is much to be commended in the Bill, but there is also much that still needs to be worked on.”