'Substantial amendments' to be made to Troubles legacy law

The government is to bring forward a "substantial package of amendments" to its Troubles legacy legislation, the Northern Ireland secretary has said.

Hilary Benn said the proposed changes were "designed to improve the process" for victims and "further safeguard" veterans.

The bill was introduced at Westminster last year following agreement on a joint framework with the Irish government.

It aims to repeal and replace the previous Conservative government's legislation, but some MPs have questioned its contents and how long it has taken to progress.

The secretary of state said there was a "clear need" for parliament to "have longer to scrutinise" the amendments.

Labour's bill seeks to replace the contentious Legacy Act, which introduced a ban on inquests and civil actions related to Troubles-era incidents.

The new plan involves a Legacy Commission to investigate Troubles-related killings, a separate information recovery body, and a dedicated legacy unit within An Garda Síochána (Irish police).

A package of protections for veterans has also been proposed by the UK government.

But some MPs, including Northern Ireland MPs, have said the measures do not go far enough and want to amend the bill to include stronger protections in law.

In a written ministerial statement on Wednesday, the Northern Ireland secretary said the government had been "consulting widely" on the legislation.

Benn said the "result of these deliberations is that the government will bring forward a substantial package of amendments designed to improve the process for victims and families".

He added they would "further safeguard our Operation Banner veterans and ensure oversight of their protections, and clearly differentiate between the role played during the Troubles by our brave security forces and the actions of paramilitary terrorists".

Benn continued: "Owing to the time it has taken to ensure we get the amendments right, and the clear need for the House to have longer to scrutinise them, the bill will now return to the House early in the next session."

The secretary of state said safeguards in the bill for former soldiers had been "broadly welcomed".

"It has been clear, however, that we must do more through the legislation to safeguard our veterans community," he added.

Benn said it was "vital that those who served the state, to whom we owe so much and to whom we have a particular duty of care, are able to have confidence in the legislation".

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson said it is "extraordinary" that Benn is "now doing precisely what he previously resisted - waiting on the Dillon Supreme Court judgment".

He added that the "delay is unacceptable and deeply frustrating for those seeking truth and certainty".

"It is therefore equally extraordinary that, having repeatedly defended every aspect of his Bill, the secretary of state now intends to bring forward a raft of amendments which will fundamentally reshape it."

Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said the delay "displays no thought or empathy for families, but rather is designed to placate the British military lobby and the interests of security and intelligence agencies".

Finucane added that the "only way this can be viewed is as an act of extreme political cynicism".

"It is incumbent on the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Irish government to speak out against what is clearly a disdainful diversion from their joint legacy framework."