Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention Debate
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Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee
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Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention
Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts(3 days, 5 hours ago)
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Lord Coaker (Lab)
Of course, the application of human rights legislation is important. The one thing I would say is that the ECHR cannot be applied retrospectively.
Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)
My Lords, as the Minister will know, the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner was a creation of New Decade, New Approach, which brought the Government of Northern Ireland back together in 2020. Given that, will he listen to the very strong opinion of the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner that veterans feel that they are treated as less than terrorists? Surely that is something the Government should be very concerned about.
Lord Coaker (Lab)
Of course that is a concern, and of course what the veterans commissioner has said is important. We are trying to reassure. We are meeting veterans and various associations. We do not shy away from doing that, and we will continue to do so, to try to ensure that the Act that we bring forward is an Act with which they agree.