Victims' Commissioner Ian Jeffers 'disappointed, not surprised' after legacy bill vote

Northern Ireland’s victims’ commissioner says it's a "bit of a disgrace" the UK Government has reinstated the proposal to grant immunity in its controversial legacy legislation.

Ian Jeffers was speaking after the Government overturned attempts to remove the conditional immunity provision from the bill designed to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.

The House of Lords had voted to strip out the contentious element which aims to offer immunity from prosecution to those who committed crimes during the Troubles if they co-operate with a new truth-recovery body.

However on Tuesday MPs voted 292 to 200 to disagree with this change and to restore the measures to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.

The legislation will now return to the House of Lords for further consideration, with the Government hoping it becomes law before the start of the summer recess on Thursday.

“Ultimately disappointed, not surprised," Ian Jeffers told UTV.

"I mean it is a bit of a disgrace what the Government have done here, the Lords did try and amend the bill.

"The Lords are called the 'improving house', supposedly they wanted to remove the immunity element of it, it went to the Commons yesterday, they put it straight back again so we’re nearly at square one from where the bill started."

Victims groups, the main Stormont political parties and the Irish Government have all expressed their opposition to the Bill.

The UK Government has said the legislation is the best way to deliver for victims of the Troubles.

Northern Ireland Office Minister Lord Caine said: "I am aware of the feelings about the legislation, I also understand that a great many people find it very challenging.

"But what I think we have to do here is take a step back and take a realistic assessment of what it is that we can actually deliver for victims, survivors and families of those who lost loved ones during the Troubles in circumstances where traditional criminal justice processes, prosecutions will not deliver."

He continued: “The Government has really reached a conclusion that the best thing it can do is offer, where families want it, more information about what happened to their loved ones during the Troubles.

"We are confident that the mechanisms the new commission, the new body we’re going to put in place, will be able to deliver that in a far more timely manner than the existing processes are able to achieve.”

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