Community Relations Council

• Jobs
• Press Releases
• News
• Links
• Speeches
• Contact
• Council Minutes

28 January 2009

The Consultative Group on the Past launched their report today and issued the following press release.

 TIME TO TAKE FINAL STEP OUT OF CONFLICT – ‘PAST’ GROUP

Northern Ireland has made tremendous progress over the last number of years and it is time for society to take the final step out of conflict by dealing with the legacy of the violence.

Speaking to several hundred people in Belfast today the Co-Chairs of the Consultative Group on the Past, Lord Robin Eames and Denis Bradley, also urged Northern Ireland’s political leaders to lead society to a truly shared and reconciled future.

Lord Eames said, “Sometimes we can take the achievement of the last ten years for granted and forget how far we have come from the dark days of the violence.  Our society has made huge progress and we must never forget that. 

“This has been achieved through hard work, by taking difficult decisions, and by challenging everyone in society. By asking what sort of future we want and how that can be achieved. We know that one size does not fit all and we are not imposing a one size fits all approach.

“But we are recommending a one stop approach.  One package and one framework that people can opt into when they feel it is right for them to do so.  One package that offers many different options for individuals and communities.”

Denis Bradley said, “A massive section of this report sets out a framework whereby the calls for justice, the pleas for truth, or often both, can be addressed.  We have heard your pleas and we say you are right.

“And we have proposed the best way that we can construct to deliver justice and truth so that you too can move on.

“It is our best attempt at providing a level playing field for all - an alternative to public inquiries, an alternative to the justice system.  These are the only tools currently available but they are not fit for the purpose of dealing with our past conflict and allowing us to move forward in a reconciled way.

“We have proposed a Legacy Commission which will, during its five year mandate, and through processes of reconciliation, justice and information recovery, promote peace and stability in Northern Ireland.

“We now need to take the next step – dealing with the legacy of our troubled and violent past.  This is the final and most difficult challenge for a society moving out of conflict.  Finding ways to do this was never going to be easy.

“Our politicians have been lauded for what they have achieved and rightly so but if the accommodation stays only at the political level we end up with a society that is in relative peace but is still begrudging of each other.  Politicians need to give us a vision.”

• The full report is available at www.cgpni.org
• To view the executive summary click here.

Summary of main recommendations:

• An independent Legacy Commission to deal with the legacy of the past, combining processes of reconciliation, justice and information recovery with the objective of promoting peace and stability in Northern Ireland
• The Chair of the Legacy Commission to be an International Commissioner
• Two other Commissioners
• Fixed mandate for five years
• OFMDFM to join the British and Irish Governments in implementing this initiative
• Four strands of work of Commission: Dealing with Society Issues, Reviewing and Investigating Historical Cases, Conducting a Process of Information Recovery, and Examining Linked or Thematic Cases
• Society Issues to include: Sectarianism, Remembering, Young People, Healthcare issues, Economic issues, and Exiles
• The Chair of the Commission to take the lead in addressing sectarianism
• The Legacy Commission to engage specifically with the Christian Churches in Northern Ireland to encourage them to review and rethink their contribution to a non-sectarian future in the light of their past, particularly in the area of education
• A new independent Review and Investigation Unit to deal with historical cases; to continue to review and investigate historical cases, backed by police powers. This new Unit would take over the work of the HET, and the Police Ombudsman’s Unit dealing with the historical cases
• A distinct process within the Legacy Commission, the Information Recovery process, separate from the investigation procedure , for recovering information of importance to relatives.
• The Legacy Commission would examine themes arising from the conflict which remain of public concern. This thematic examination would take place without public hearings
• No change to inquests
• Criminal Case Reviews to continue
• Burden of inquiries and criminal case reviews to be kept under review
• No new public inquiries
•  No recommendations about ‘On the Runs’
•  No amnesty but Legacy Commission to make recommendations at end of its five-year mandate
• The CVSNI should take account of, and address in their work programme, the present and future needs and concerns of victims and survivors, devoting attention to provision of services, funding, healthcare needs and compensation
• The suffering of families from Northern Ireland and Great Britain should be recognised.  The nearest relative of someone who died as a result of the conflict in and about Northern Ireland, from January 1966, should receive a one-off ex-gratia recognition payment of £12,000
• Support for Storytelling, including by young people, about the impact of the conflict on individuals and communities; and the stories of intra-communal difference
• Remembering across society should be promoted as a means to achieve reconciliation
• Full support for the annual Day of Reflection on 21^stJune each year
• Consideration should be given to re-naming the event a Day of Reflection and Reconciliation
• The First Minister and deputy First Minister should make a keynote address to the NI Assembly and invited guests, reflecting on the past in a positive way and confirming their commitment to led Northern Ireland society towards a shared and reconciled future.
• A shared memorial to remember the conflict in and about Northern Ireland should be kept under consideration by the Reconciliation Forum
•  The Legacy Commission should, at the end of its five year life span, make recommendations to Government in this regard
• The Reconciliation Forum should take the lead in implementing an initiative whereby Northern Ireland, with the support of the two Governments and the NI Assembly, should conduct a ceremony remembering the past and all those who suffered during the conflict
• The Legacy Commission should challenge the people of NI, political parties and paramilitary groups , to sign a declaration to the effect that they will never again kill or injure others on political grounds