Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kinahan has described the Report into the so-called ‘On the Runs scheme’ by the House of Commons’ Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, as a damning indictment of Government policy.
Mr Kinahan said:
“The findings of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in its Report into the On The Runs scheme will come as no surprise to anyone who has taken even the slightest interest in this tawdry affair.
“This is a damning indictment of how Tony Blair’s Government operated with regard to Northern Ireland matters. In order to placate Sinn Fein demands and avert the threat of violence, Tony Blair’s Government devised a scheme of dubious legality which has damaged the integrity of the criminal justice system and parts of HM Government.
“The principle of justice must be restored and the needs of victims and their families must now take centre stage. As it stands, intelligence suggests that 95 recipients of the letters were responsible for as many as 300 murders. These include my eleven comrades in the Blues and Royals and the Royal Green Jackets who were murdered in the Hyde Park and Regent’s Park bombings on 20 July 1982.
“The current position is simply not acceptable and I fully agree that the current Government should now take all necessary steps including legislation, to ensure letters have no legal effect and to enable prosecutions to take place. Justice demands it.”