There is widespread revulsion at the idea of a pension for terrorists, however few of them are eligible

“While there are political sensitivities around eligibility for a pension this move has the support of all political parties in Stormont and in Westminster and I am clear that these recommendations are a fair and reasonable response to supporting the needs of those who suffered the most.”

Letters [on the opposite page in the print edition, see web link below] make clear that the pension plan she has put forward does not have the support of the Ulster Unionist Party and the TUV. It does not have the support of Innocent Victims United, a key group working with victims of terror.

What does have unanimous support is a pension for the worst affected Troubles actual victims. It is a moral outrage that this was not sorted long ago. It was not sorted because the repugnant details of the pension are an outworking of the mindset that terrorists who injure themselves planting a bomb are a victim like their targets. This thinking led to the definition of a victim that prevails in Northern Ireland.

The justifiable and widespread outrage that the state should pay such terrorists, however small in number, has held up funding for hundreds of real victims. The wealthy terror gangs should financially support their injured bombers.

As the DUP MP Gregory Campbell said yesterday: “A victims pension, like so many other issues, is overshadowed by the definition of a victim.” He said his party’s amendment at Westminster last week means the government will bring forward proposals on a UK-wide definition of a victim.

That is excellent news. Despairing victims of terror and servants of the state will be thrilled if the party uses its influence both to secure that change and to turn round the legacy juggernaut. A queue of measures await, including compensation for Libya-IRA victims, scrapping the police misconduct aspect to HIU and ensuring terrorists are subject to sub criminal inquiries to match such probes into state forces.

• Letters and platforms on the pension plan