Doug Beattie MC MLA, Ulster Unionist Party Justice spokesperson, has stated that 185 soldiers who have not had effective investigations of their murders, should not be forgotten about. The same applies to RUC members.

Mr Beattie said:

“When discussing the issue around the legacy of our Troubles the number 185 doesn’t jump out at you.  If I was to add that this is the number of murdered soldiers who have not had an effective investigation or inquest then again some, mainly from a republican, Sinn Fein background will just shrug their shoulders and say ‘so what’.

“This is not a new figure. This was briefed during a Westminster Parliamentary debate in December 2016 by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Kris Hopkins.

Mr Hopkins said:

“Honourable Friends, it is estimated that without reform of the current mechanisms, around 185 murders of soldiers, not to mention the many murders of RUC members, will not be investigated.”

“His contribution was to support the establishment of a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) as part of the Stormont House Agreement agreed by the DUP and Sinn Fein. This legacy agreement recently went to public consultation and was, according to sources, soundly rejected by the majority of the 18,000 individuals and groups who responded.

“Given that it was announced last week that £55 million has been set aside for Legacy Inquests for 93 individuals killed during the Troubles, I now ask what is the plan for the 185 murdered soldiers? As it stands they will not receive a legacy inquest nor will they receive an investigation. They will wait, along with over 1,500 others, until a mechanism that puts victims first and perpetrators second, is finally agreed. They should not be forgotten about as republicans pursue a re-write of history and seek to whitewash the murderous barbarity of the Provisional IRA.

“These are questions I asked of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in October 2018. As of March 2019 I have not had a reply.”