Kenny Donaldson: The content of the legacy consultation is the issue, not whether or not it is extended

At South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) we have directly engaged with circa 1,050 directly impacted victims/survivors across a range of legacy public consultation events and through the Innocent Victims United umbrella have offered support to 23 groups and their respective memberships comprising over 11,500 individual victims and survivors.

We have also engaged with other key stakeholder groups including the churches etc.

We are easy about the calls for an extension which if it is to happen should be limited to weeks, not months.

For us the issue of a consultation extension is a red herring, it’s more so about the willingness of the NIO and government to show a willingness to apply fundamental changes to the proposed structures.

Tinkerings will not secure the community confidence they require from large sections of the innocent victims/survivors of terrorism constituency.

The current structures are not balanced, are not equitable, are not fair and do not offer a means for innocent victims/survivors of terrorism to have their needs and objectives met.

Kenny Donaldson, SEFF