Michelle O'Neill: The UK government should fund payment scheme for Troubles victims

By Q Radio News

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said the NI Executive is maintaining its position that the UK government should fund a new payment scheme for Troubles victims. 

Ms O'Neill added that Stormont ministers are due to meet the Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis, tomorrow to try to resolve the standoff over funding the scheme. 

She said the scheme could cost up to £1.2 billion and that its costs and remit had widened significantly from those agreed by Stormont back in 2014.

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled that Stormont was under a legal duty to fund the payment scheme and gave the executive and Northern Ireland Office four weeks to find an agreed solution.

(Troubles victims outside Laganside Courts in Belfast)

During Assembly question time today, Ms O’Neill said: “It remains our firm view that the scheme should be funded by the Westminster Government as an addition to the block grant.

“Without additional funding for the scheme through the block grant the executive will be faced with very significant funding pressures.”

Ms O’Neill said the executive would continue to fund required set-up costs for the scheme while the negotiations with Government continued.

The deputy First Minister highlighted that the UK Government’s own policy was to fund initiatives it legislated for.

Ms O’Neill said the executive had been waiting for five months for Mr Lewis to agree to meet on the issue

“The executive is absolutely committed to paying and delivering upon the scheme – how the scheme is resourced however is a political question and it’s a question that needs that urgent focus from the British Government and from Brandon Lewis in particular,” she said.

“It also requires an immediate political solution because, as I’ve said earlier, victims have had to wait for far too long.”

Meanwhile, Relatives for Justice chief executive Mark Thompson said the victims scheme is designed to ensure acknowledgement of conflict-related physical and psychological injuries.

“That acknowledgement has a price and we now see what that monetary price is.

“Across the globe transitional societies have embraced the principle of reparation for conflict harms, yet the Westminster Government has stubbornly refused to act on its obligations to our injured from our recent conflict.

“It is clear that the scheme requires significant funding that far exceeds block grant capacity.

“It is time for the British Secretary of State to sit down and make fiscal commitments to this scheme and put an end to its obfuscation.”