Northern Ireland group recommends payment for bombers' families

by Dave Keating | January 28, 2009 at 04:10 am

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A group tasked with dealing with the legacy of the troubles in Northern Ireland has made a controversial recomendation in suggesting that the relatives of all people who died in the conflict should receive £12,000 in compensation payment from the government. This would include relatives of IRA and Unionist bombers. Victims of the violence vocally protested the recomendation at a press conference today in Belfast.

The report on dealing with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles made 31 main recommendations under six headings: Legacy of the Past and Reconciliation: :: An independent Legacy Commission should be established, combining the tasks of securing reconciliation, justice and information recovery.

:: A Reconciliation Forum should help the Legacy Commission and the existing Commission for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland (CVSNI) tackle issues linked to the conflict.

:: The Legacy Commission should have a £100 million bursary to tackle the issues.

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Victims and Survivors: :: The nearest relative of each person who died in the conflict should receive a £12,000 "recognition payment" as an acknowledgement of the suffering of people in Northern Ireland and Britain, after a similar scheme was introduced in the Irish Republic.