Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many prosecutorial decisions the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland has made on Troubles-related offences involving individuals from (a) republican paramilitaries, (b) loyalist paramilitaries, (c) members of the armed forces and (d) others as of 28 February 2022; and of those resulting in prosecutions how many cases (i) are active, (ii) were discontinued, (iii) resulted in a conviction and (iv) resulted in acquittal.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Northern Ireland Office does not keep active records of the information requested. This request should be directed to the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland, which is operationally independent of the Government.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to bring forward legislative proposals to tackle Northern Ireland legacy issues.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government has been clear that it will bring forward legislation to address Northern Ireland legacy issues that focuses on reconciliation, delivers for victims and ends the cycle of investigations that is not working for anyone.
Engagement with key stakeholders on the way forward has taken place at both ministerial and official level, and continues to take place. We remain committed to working with all parts of the community in Northern Ireland to make progress on this issue as quickly as possible
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the consultation on addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past, which closed on 5 October 2018, when her Department plans to publish the results of that consultation.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Government’s consultation ‘Addressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland’s Past’ has received over 17,000 responses. I am encouraged to see so much interest in the consultation and it is right that we now take the time to consider responses fully.
The Northern Ireland Office is carefully considering all the views received and will set out in due course how we intend to move forward. We will be taking all views into account to help us to build support and confidence from across the community for a better way to address the past for all those affected by the Troubles.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the public interest in pursuing prosecutions against former members of the armed forces for activities in Northern Ireland which occurred prior to the Good Friday Agreement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Responsibility for policing and justice matters in Northern Ireland has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive since April 2010. All decisions on prosecutions are taken independently of Government and in accordance with the Code for Prosecutors.
As I have made very clear in a number of statements, I am concerned that the existing mechanisms for investigating incidents which occurred during the Troubles are disproportionately focused on the actions of the Armed Forces and former police officers, rather than the terrorists who were responsible for 90 per cent of deaths. This is wrong and it has to change. That is why this Government supports the full and faithful implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, which would see a move to a new system that would, under legal obligations, operate in ways that are fair, balanced and proportionate. The proposed new institutions, set out in the Stormont House Agreement, have a number of important advantages over the system currently in place in Northern Ireland, including that they will consider deaths in chronological order. This will ensure that outstanding investigations into terrorist murders, including the murder of 185 soldiers, are investigated and evidential leads are pursued.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the peace process in Northern Ireland of pursuing prosecutions against former members of the armed forces for activities in Northern Ireland which occurred prior to the Good Friday Agreement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Responsibility for policing and justice matters in Northern Ireland has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive since April 2010. All decisions on prosecutions are taken independently of Government and in accordance with the Code for Prosecutors.
As I have made very clear in a number of statements, I am concerned that the existing mechanisms for investigating incidents which occurred during the Troubles are disproportionately focused on the actions of the Armed Forces and former police officers, rather than the terrorists who were responsible for 90 per cent of deaths. This is wrong and it has to change. That is why this Government supports the full and faithful implementation of the Stormont House Agreement, which would see a move to a new system that would, under legal obligations, operate in ways that are fair, balanced and proportionate. The proposed new institutions, set out in the Stormont House Agreement, have a number of important advantages over the system currently in place in Northern Ireland, including that they will consider deaths in chronological order. This will ensure that outstanding investigations into terrorist murders, including the murder of 185 soldiers, are investigated and evidential leads are pursued.