The British and Irish Governments published the agreed Joint Framework on the Legacy of the Troubles in September of last year, the first such agreement in more than a decade.
The focus now is on implementation of the Framework. Both governments’ legislation must correspond fully with what was agreed in the Joint Framework, and must comply with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Since taking up this role, I have discussed this on a number of occasions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. In our recent discussions, he has assured me that his Government's amendments to the UK's Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will be in line with the Joint Framework.
Those proposed amendments have not yet been published, and we must see the exact text and details of those amendments before coming to any view.
Families have been waiting decades – some of them, for over five decades. The two governments must deliver on their commitments for all the victims of the Troubles. This includes many veterans: hundreds of British soldiers were killed during the Troubles and many more injured. Victims and veterans are not separate groups, but overlapping. As Northern Ireland's Victims' Commissioner noted recently, all victims and survivors need support and protections, including veterans; playing one against the other is not helpful.
I look forward to seeing the Secretary of State at the British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Hillsborough this week for a more detailed discussion of these issues.
