Northern Ireland Secretary refuses to commit to banning paramilitaries by law from sitting on victims panel - MPs plan amendments

Jim Allister has tabled an amendment to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill which would block them from the Victims and Survivors Advisory Group, after the Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn refused to commit to making the change to the bill himself.

The UUP will table a similar amendment to the bill.

And the DUP too will put forward what it promises will be a “substantial suite” of amendments (though the details of these have yet to emerge).

Mr Benn was pressed on the issue of the victims panel for a second day running in the House of Commons today.

The night before, Labour’s bill had passed its second reading in the House of Commons by 320 votes to 105, with the bulk of the opposition coming from the Tories and Northern Irish unionists.

It will now go on to the committee stage.

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 to the new Legacy Commission or inquests.

Speaking in the Commons today, Mr Allister said to Mr Benn: “Yesterday, in the second reading, the Secretary of State gave an undertaking that he would he would not appoint any paramilitaries to the victims and survivors group.

"In light of that undertaking, will he now underwrite it by indicating that he will accept an amendment to put into statutory form that there cannot be any paramilitary serving on the victims and survivors group?

"If his undertaking is good, then let's make it even better by putting in statute.”

Mr Benn replied: “I think from memory, I gave that undertaking three times at the dispatch box yesterday, and I hope that it would provide the honorable member with the assurance that he is looking for, because I'm quite clear, no one with that record is going to be appointed to the victims and survivors panel.”

UUP MP Robin Swann has also announced that he is tabling an amendment that will “disqualify anyone with terrorist associations from holding any director, commissioner, officer, panel or advisory group role created under the legislation".

Gavin Robinson had told the house on Tuesday that “I have it on good authority that the Irish Republic have cautioned against amendments” to the bill.

Among those raising concerns about Labour’s bill on Tuesday was Tonia Antoniazzi, the chairwoman of the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, and herself a Labour MP.

She had said: “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.”

She went on to add 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”.