Victims Commission says it is 'bound by the law' - and only politicians can make changes

A Commission for Victims and Survivors (CVS) spokesperson said in “any research or advice the Commission produces, we are legally bound by the definition in the 2006 Victims and Survivors Order which founded our office”.

The Westminster legislation was aimed at giving victims and survivors “a strong voice” – but nearly 18 years later politicians have been unable to agree on the issue of payments to those bereaved during the violence. That is largely because of controversy over the legal definition of who was a victim of the Troubles. The relevant definition is “someone who has been bereaved as a result of or in consequence of a conflict-related incident”.

The Commission spokesperson added that: “Any workarounds or differentiation in practice can only be taken forward by politicians / legislators”.

The Stormont parties don’t agree on the definition of victim – with unionists of the view that perpetrators are not victims – and republicans opposing what they call a ‘hierarchy of victims’.

The Victims Commissioner Ian Jeffers also said that he saw “value of a recognition payment to those suggested in this paper in promoting reconciliation." The News Letter asked, given that many victims groups are greatly opposed to this payment - how it would help to reconcile victims. There was no response at the time of going to print.

The payments are separate to the so-called Troubles pension. The government tightened the criteria for the pension to include only “those people injured through no fault of their own”. Those in receipt of the pension receive annual payments of between £2,000 to £10,000 per year for the rest of their lives.