Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Accepted
Provide detailed guidance on victims and survivors advisory group's remit, composition, and operation.
Recommendation
The Government must provide detailed guidance on the group’s remit, composition, and operation to address these concerns and ensure it delivers on its intended role of genuinely representing victims and survivors. (Recommendation, Paragraph 81)
Government Response Summary
The government commits to publishing further information on the VSAG's composition, ensuring it excludes individuals involved in paramilitary violence, and its terms of reference under Clauses 9 and 8(7) of the Troubles Bill, addressing the call for detailed guidance.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
It is vital that the VSAG is able to command the confidence of victims and survivors across communities. The perspectives of victims will, of course, be an integral part of the consultation on appointments to the VSAG. The Government has also been very clear that membership of the VSAG will not include any individual who has previously been involved in paramilitary violence. The VSAG has a specific role as part of the governance and oversight arrangements for the reformed Legacy Commission, learning from processes like the Operation Kenova Victims Focus Group, which families have indicated was helpful in this regard. The VSAG will complement the work of other well established representative groups to ensure the Commission exercises its functions in a way that meets the needs of victims and survivors. Further information regarding the composition of VSAG will be published as part of the Secretary of State’s duties to consult on appointments under Clause 9 of the Bill. The specific operation of the VSAG will be a matter for its members, once appointed, though Clause 8(7) requires the Secretary of State to publish its terms of reference following consultation with members of the VSAG.