Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 5
5
The Government is right to recognise the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland by decoupling Northern...
Conclusion
The Government is right to recognise the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland by decoupling Northern Ireland legacy issues from the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill. Any attempts to conflate the two must be resisted. (Paragraph 20) Consultation and legislation
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government is sincere and unstinting in its gratitude to those who served their country—whether overseas, or in helping to uphold the law in Northern Ireland during the long years of the Troubles—and welcomes the Committee’s recognition that it is “right to recognise the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland by decoupling Northern Ireland legacy issues from the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill”.7 The Government remains committed to delivering on its commitments to NI veterans, and has been clear that we will do this as part of a wider package to address legacy issues in Northern Ireland. Dealing with the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland must address the needs of veterans alongside the needs of victims through an approach which focuses on reconciliation and that ends the cycle of investigations that has failed them both alike.