Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the protection of veterans who served in Northern Ireland while ensuring that the implementation of any such protection does not result in those responsible for terrorist offences evading justice.

The Government has been clear that it will deliver on its commitments to NI veterans as part of a wider package to address the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland.

As set out by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland last week, the Government’s proposed package focuses on reconciliation, information recovery and ending the cycle of investigations that is not working for anyone.

The Government remains clear however, that it will never accept any moral equivalence between those who upheld the law in Northern Ireland and those, on all sides, who sought to destroy it.

These proposals will be considered as part of the ongoing intensive talks process with the NI parties, Irish Government and representatives of NI society, further to which we will bring forward legislation.