Victims should get more time for a say on legacy consultation: UUP chief

SECRETARY of State Karen Bradley is being urged to extend the deadline on the public consultation on legacy issues by four weeks.

The consultation on the legacy of the Troubles was launched by the Government in May.

The consultation document — Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland’s Past — outlines plans for a historical investigations unit which would investigate over 1,700 unsolved murders from the Troubles.

The plans also include the setting up of an independent commission on information retrieval which would only look for information on deaths if asked to do so by families.

The consultation will run until September 10.

However, UUP leader Robin Swann has written to party leaders, Prime Minister Theresa May and the Secretary of State urging them to support his call to extend the deadline until October 10.

In July, only nine of 90 MLAs attended a meeting hosted by the NIO team to brief them on the public consultation on legacy issues.

Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson has also expressed her fears that a lowkey information campaign could result in thousands of victims missing out on the chance to have their say.

Mr Swann (below) pointed out that a significant part of the consultation period has been during the summer.

He said: “We believe that it is crucial that people speak up and have their say.

“A number of groups representing victims and individual victims and the wider community have raised concerns with the

UUP, telling us that they require more time to properly assess the proposals and make a response.

“How we deal with the past has been a feature of political talks for many years and it is essential that any resolution is one which commands widespread support across the community, and in particular, is endorsed by victims and survivors of the Troubles.

“If some of them require an extra month to prepare a response, then I believe we should facilitate that by extending the consultation process in order to maximise the chances of as many people as possible being able to make their voices heard.”

Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry said: “This is an important and sensitive consultation. While it has already been given four months, we have no objection to a further small extension and have already indicated this to the NIO.

“There has been a lot of misrepresentation and attempts to undermine the Stormont House proposals over recent months, including notably from the UUP, and we would hope any extension would provide time for a more measured and mature approach to be adopted.”

Green Party MLA Clare Bailey said she is supporting an extension to the legacy consultation period for the right reasons.

“Victims and survivors have waited long enough. However, this process represents the most important consultation process since our peace agreement,” she said.

“Any extension must be accompanied with an upping of NIO efforts to engage with the people of Northern Ireland. I would also seek assurances that the NIO are committed to prioritising the needs of victims and survivors throughout this process.”