THE NORTHERN IRELAND TROUBLES BILL

By The Rt Hon Louise Sandher-Jones MP, Minister for Veterans and People

Editorial Foreword

The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office and presented by The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP — supported by the Rt Hon John Healey MP and the Rt Hon David Lammy MP — recently had its first reading in the House of Commons. The NITB will replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. 

Some supporters of the new Bill maintain that the new legislation is better-drafted than the 2023 Act and that military and police veterans of the Ulster Troubles will be better-protected. Critics say that the Bill not only leaves retired security forces personnel open to Ulster-related lawfare but paves the way for similar persecution of veterans in relation to other conflicts involving Britain in the post-World War Two era. 

Hermes asked Minister of Veterans and People The Rt Hon Louise Sandher-Jones MP to write a response to Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Simon Barry’s article on the repeal of the Legacy Act in Hermes. Ms Sandher-Jones MP, a former Intellgence Corps officer who served in Afghanistan, kindly sent us the following editorial for publication. 

“The introduction today of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will deliver the robust protections our veterans deserve. As a veteran myself, I understand the importance of ensuring those who served with honour during the Troubles are properly safeguarded.

“After extensive dialogue with veteran groups and Armed Forces communities, we’ve introduced comprehensive protections that were completely absent from the previous government’s failed Legacy Act. Veterans now have the right to stay at home with remote evidence, protection from repeated investigations, and anonymity when giving testimony.

“We’ve also legislated protections for elderly veterans, requiring consideration of their health and wellbeing, including whether it would be inappropriate for them to give evidence at all.

“These safeguards are the direct result of listening to those who served. Unlike the previous government’s false promises, we’re delivering workable protections that ensure the process doesn’t become the punishment for our veterans.

“Our Armed Forces operate across the world in difficult circumstances, making life and death decisions, often very quickly and in dangerous circumstances.

“The last government’s failed ‘immunity’ scheme was rejected in the courts, in part because it would have given immunity to terrorists. It was never enacted, never deliverable and never existed.

“Instead of an unworkable immunity scheme, this bill promises real justice, protecting veterans and enabling the families of soldiers murdered in the troubles to finally receive answers. 

“This legislation demonstrates our unwavering commitment to those who served their nation with honour whilst providing a fair and transparent system for all families seeking answers about the Troubles.”.