IRA victims’ plea to Boris over pensions

BORIS Johnson was last night facing mounting pressure to sort out payments to victims of IRA bombings after months of delays.

John Barton, 90, from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, said he and his frail wife were ‘conscious that our days are limited’ and that they wanted to live to get their Troubles pension.

In an impassioned plea to the Prime Minister, he said the delays to the promised pension were ‘procedural and political’, and urged him to speed up payments.

The Troubles pension is a government scheme designed to support thousands who suffered serious physical or psychological injuries during the 30 years of violence.

It was due to open for applications on May 29. But the Government has accused Sinn Fein of holding up the implementation of the scheme because it wants former prisoners to receive the money too.

At present the scheme excludes those convicted of serious offences or who were injured by their own actions. Fresh discussions on ending the delays are expected to take place today.

The delays have infuriated Troubles victims, who expect to receive between £2,000 and £10,000 a year after they were left unable to work and without a pension pot.

Mr Barton was feeding his livestock in sheds in his farmyard in 1972 when he was shot and seriously injured in a provisional IRA ambush. The following year he was shot and injured again. He was a part-time volunteer with the Ulster Defence Regiment at the time.

Mr Barton was awarded £1,100 in compensation for the two incidents but is still waiting for his Troubles pension.

‘My wife and I live in isolation during this pandemic,’ he said. ‘We are aware of our vulnerability as elderly people with significant underlying health problems. We are conscious that our days are limited.’