As news breaks of the death of Eddie McCann, a victim of historical institutional abuse, Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt is urging the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to prioritise people over political process and take control of the Hart Report into Historical Institutional Abuse.

Yesterday, Karen Bradley MP told the House of Commons it would be “constitutionally inappropriate” for Parliament to enact the Hart Report recommendations, as the Public Inquiry was established by, and was to report back to, the Northern Ireland Executive.

Mike says:

“I challenge the Secretary of State to name one victim or survivor of institutional abuse who gives a fig about political process or constitutional niceties. Equally, I challenge Ms Bradley to name a single MLA at Stormont or MP at Westminster who does not want to see survivors receive the justice and redress they so clearly deserve.

"When you know no-one will speak out against you, what on earth is holding her back from taking decisive action? The DUP and Sinn Féin tell you they are the champions of the most vulnerable in society, yet they have failed to reach the agreement that would allow them to help the vulnerable who are the victims of institutional abuse. This is the perfect opportunity for the Secretary of State to tell the big parties that if they will not act in the interests of the vulnerable, she will. To prefer to hide behind political process is, frankly, beyond poor.

“Within an hour of the original release of this statement, I was informed of the passing of Eddie McCann, whom I met the day Sir Anthony Hart published his report. Eddie never had a passport, or enjoyed a holiday. Like so many survivors, he was denied the sort of life opportunities in education, employment and social inclusion the rest of us take for granted.

“To give survivors a public inquiry which then makes a series of recommendations that no one is prepared to deliver is cruel and perverse. I urge The Secretary of State to re-think. Making this happen may be constitutionally unusual and difficult but it is doable and that should be the political and moral imperative for any political leader.”