Sinn Féin MP John Finucane has questioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Helen McEntee on Britain’s legacy legislation.
The MP for North Belfast said, “At the Good Friday Agreement Committee, I raised serious concerns with Minister McEntee about the direction of the British Government’s legacy legislation and attempts to build further protections for state actors into the legislation.
“In April, Secretary of State Hilary Benn confirmed that the legislation would be delayed until October in order to develop additional protections for their current and former military.
“Victims and families will view that very seriously. There can be no hierarchy of victims and no political manoeuvring designed to shield state forces, intelligence agencies or their agents from accountability.
“I also raised the recent May report into the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Retrieval, which exposed significant concerns around culture, management and public confidence, concerns long raised by victims and families themselves.
“The British state cannot continue withholding information relating to its actions and the actions of its proxies during the conflict.
“The Irish Government now has a responsibility to ensure that the British Government honours its commitments and that any legacy mechanisms are independent, transparent, human rights compliant and capable of delivering truth and accountability for families.”
