Lord Elliott critical of Pat Finucane public inquiry while 'hundreds and thousands' of other victims are ignored
Equality is needed in dealing with the aftermath of Northern Ireland's Troubles, Parliament has been told as critics expressed frustration at a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane but not the thousands of other victims.
Former Ulster Unionist leader Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard, who served in the security forces and saw some of those murdered, made the call as he highlighted the absence of similar investigation for those killed in the IRA's notorious Remembrance Sunday bomb attack in Enniskillen in 1987.
He was speaking after the UK government announced moves to repeal and replace controversial legislation designed to address the legacy of the Troubles.
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, introduced by the previous Conservative government, halted scores of civil cases and inquests into Troubles deaths.
Labour is taking steps to scrap the immunity scheme and enable all civil proceedings that were prohibited by the legacy act, including future cases, to proceed.
Legislation will also seek to reform the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), which has faced sustained criticism from groups representing Troubles victims since it was established by the legacy act.
Speaking at Westminster, Lord Elliott said: “Some things in life are very difficult to get a conclusion to. Some things are even difficult to get agreement on, and legacy in Northern Ireland is certainly one of them.”
While welcoming the new proposals he warned they are “just a little less undesirable than the ones that were there before”.
Lord Elliott added: “I am hugely frustrated, particularly given that the government were only just in place when they announced a public inquiry into the Pat Finucane murder, when we have hundreds and thousands of innocent victims in Northern Ireland without that opportunity.
“I declare an interest – I served in the security forces in Northern Ireland for 18 years and saw some of those people murdered.
“I visited and continue to visit their families. They say to me – for example, the victims of the Enniskillen bomb – 'Where is the public inquiry? Where is the equality for me?' There is none.
“Until the minister and her government get some equality into dealing with the legacy and the victims in Northern Ireland, there will never be agreement or support for that process.”
Responding, Labour frontbencher Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent told peers: “As was said, everything to do with legacy is so emotive that it becomes very challenging.
“On the Finucane public inquiry, delivering a public inquiry was a solemn commitment made by the last Labour government, which is why we have fulfilled our commitment.”
“… It does not suggest that other arrangements cannot and will not provide a level of closure and information.”
Pressing the minister, former DUP deputy leader Lord Dodds of Duncairn said: “Will she ensure that there is proper redress for the innocent victims of the IRA, as it is not a one-sided process?”
Responding, Lady Anderson said: “With regard to the victims of the Troubles and the perpetrators of some of the most vicious terror attacks that our country has ever known, there is no hierarchy of victim nor of persecutor.
“Those people who perpetrated these acts should be held to the same account, regardless of which section of the community they come from.”