Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Troubles pension payout may cost £800million
MLA’S tweet sparks anger
A COMPENSATION scheme for those most seriously injured during the Troubles could cost up to £800million, the Justice Minister has revealed.
Naomi Long said it is “regrettable” victims had to go to court following delays in the implementation of the measure, which was passed by Westminster MPS last year.
And last night a row erupted after Sinn Fein MLA Martina Anderson tweeted the scheme was going to those who “fought Britain’s dirty war in Ireland”.
The now deleted tweet claimed money from the £800million scheme was mainly supporting former soldiers.
The post has sparked outrage across the political spectrum, with the Alliance, DUP, SDLP and UUP calling for Sinn Fein to take action against Ms Anderson.
DUP Foyle MLA Gary Middleton said: “The pension is for innocent victims and is rightly a recognition that as a result of injuries caused by terrorists, they were unable to make their own pension contributions.
“Martina Anderson has form in making outrageous statements, but this statement is offensive to innocent victims of terrorism. It is also patent nonsense.”
Mrs Long said: “This appears to have been deleted but it is an outrageous, gratuitous insult to all those who will qualify for the victims’ pension.
“Ordinary people who had extraordinary suffering foisted on them, they came together to campaign for this. Their dignity has been inspiring.”
Earlier in the day the Justice Minsiter said her department is “not the best placed” to administer the scheme but that she felt morally obliged to offer to take it on.
She told the BBC: “Given the complexity of the work that has to be done, we don’t already have a system that does, for example, a monthly payment, so that’s something we’re going to have to develop.
“But I felt that, out of an obligation and a moral duty to try to see this move forward, it was important to step up and offer to get this work done and I am now very pleased the department will be taking this forward.
“There are still a lot of issues that have to be resolved in terms of the long-term finance, but I think those are issues we can work together on in parallel with the work of developing the scheme.”
Mrs Long warned the most challenging task will be appointing the panel who will make the decision on who will be eligible for the scheme.
And she said it remains “unclear” where the money will come from.