MPs have voted to continue progress on Northern Ireland Troubles legacy legislation, while opponents have branded the mass of amendments to the Bill “a mess”.
Scrutiny of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill began in the previous parliamentary session, but it did not pass all its legislative stages.
On Tuesday, MPs were asked to approve a carry-over motion to continue its progress in the Commons, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham appearing in the chamber for the debate.
It passed 304 votes in favour to 179 against – majority 125.
However, opposition MPs criticised the lack of time being given to examine the more than 100 amendments that have been put forward by the Government, with the shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart branding the Bill “a mess”.
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant commended the legislation (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)
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The shadow minister said: “That mess is attested to by the fact that we are still debating it when it was introduced a year ago tomorrow, and we have yet to breach committee stage.
“It is attested to by the fact that we are debating a carryover motion tonight for the second time.
“It is attested to by the fact that the Government in April told us that it was going to submit its amendments after six months of delay, but only published them yesterday, after another six months, and just look at them: 144 Government amendments now making a pack of about 300 – 119 pages.
“This is a mess in the process of becoming a bigger mess.”
Paul Kohler, the Liberal Democrats’ Northern Ireland spokesman, said only giving the House one week to examine the amendments before discussion at committee stage raises “serious concerns about scrutiny”.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson also said: “I think it is deeply unfortunate for victims, for innocent victims, and for veterans to have but a week to consider and to comprehend the import of the amendments, scores of them, 60 additional pages in this book, and to understand the impact that will have on their quest and their rightful quest for truth and for justice.”
Tory former minister Sir David Davis demanded the Government “drop this evil Bill and start again”.
“This vexatious use of lawfare is designed with one intent: it is to represent the behaviour of IRA killers, murderers, vicious psychopathic murderers, as somehow liberators, heroes, by destroying the reputations of our own soldiers,” he said.
However, Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood (Lagan Valley) called for politicians to “stop playing games”.
She said: “This is not perfect. The matter in which it’s being done is far from perfect.
“But people have died. People have died waiting. We have been at this in Northern Ireland for at least 20 odd years. I’m not going to stand in the way of any family.”
Opening the debate, Sir Chris Bryant, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said the Bill was needed to allow families who lost loved ones in the Troubles to get answers.
He said: “I don’t think we can ever really build a strong future for Northern Ireland unless we fully understand the past, and understanding the past means making sure that we get answers for people.”
Amendments put forward by the Government include one giving the UK Attorney General final say on whether Troubles-related prosecutions should go ahead.
This will bypass the devolution settlement, meaning Stormont’s own Attorney General, Dame Brenda King, will have no role in any decision. Northern Ireland has appointed its own attorney general since 2010.
The UK Government said there was “precedent” for the approach including on national security matters.
The Northern Ireland Office said it would reduce the chances of “rinse and repeat” duplicate investigations.
The Bill overhauls the previous Conservative government’s Legacy Act, which aimed to draw a line under the conflict and legal cases which have followed.
The Act established an investigative body aimed at uncovering information and giving closure to the families of those killed in the Troubles.
However it was widely panned by different communities in Northern Ireland for offering conditional immunity from prosecution to those who shared information about crimes they were involved in