Time for at least an apology to victims of abuse and neglect

It is unacceptable for politicians in positions of leadership '” be they those required to form an executive or the secretary of state required to deliver good government in the absence of one '” to hide behind dubious technicalities to avoid delivering for the victims of Historical Institutional Abuse fully 14 months after the Hart Inquiry Report was published.

Since this time, there has been much attention on the entirely justifiable redress scheme and the shameful delay in setting this up, due to the inability of the executive to be restored to sign off on the inquiry report and its recommendations.

I was, therefore, shocked and dismayed by the secretary of state’s lame explanation (News Letter, March 13) as to why she is not going to undermine the premise of devolution by delivering on these recommendations.

How clinical and perfunctory!

The secretary of state needs to recognise that victims of abuse must not also become victims of political failure. She must, at the very least, make the public apology to the victims and survivors. 14 months is far too long for them to hear those words from a representative of the state as a recognition of their lifetime of pain and suffering.

Paula Bradshaw, Alliance MLA, South Belfast