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Ballymurphy Inquest Findings
13 May 2021
Lead MP
Brandon Lewis
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Justice & CourtsNorthern Ireland
Other Contributors: 30
At a Glance
Brandon Lewis raised concerns about ballymurphy inquest findings in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Mr Speaker, with permission I made a statement on the findings of the Ballymurphy inquest. The Government acknowledges and apologises for the hurt caused to families of ten innocent civilians killed during three days in August 1971. Over 3,500 people were killed during the troubles, with over half being innocent civilians like those from Ballymurphy. While many who served did so with professionalism, there are clear instances where errors occurred, causing significant grief and trauma for families. The Government profoundly regrets these events and is committed to addressing them through actions that reflect Northern Ireland's complex history. With 23 years since the Belfast Good Friday agreement, thousands of murders remain unresolved. The government remains determined to address these challenges in a way that reflects the time passed and the need for societal reconciliation. The aim is to deliver information to families who seek answers with less delay and distress.
Stephen Farry
Alliance
North Down
Question
The statement acknowledges the Government’s responsibility, but will it now ensure that all those responsible for serious and fatal breaches of duty during the troubles are identified, prosecuted, held accountable and sanctioned?
Minister reply
The Government is committed to addressing the legacy of the past in a way that respects victims' need for truth. We must balance this with the realities of Northern Ireland's complex history and existing compromises made towards peace.
Angela Crawley
SNP
Lanark and Hamilton East
Question
What assessment has been made by the Government on how to make prosecutions possible in cases where evidence has long since faded or been destroyed?
Minister reply
The Government is determined to address legacy issues through a process that reflects the time passed, complexities of history, and compromises already made. We are exploring ways to deliver answers with less delay and distress for victims.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
How will the Government ensure there is a consistent approach across all legacy cases?
Minister reply
The Government aims to establish a process that ensures consistency in handling legacy cases, delivering answers to families while respecting Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances and ongoing peace process.
Kerry McCarthy
Lab
Bristol East
Question
Has the Secretary of State taken steps to secure the information needed from the security forces about crimes that occurred during the troubles?
Minister reply
The Government is committed to addressing legacy issues comprehensively, ensuring families receive answers while considering historical complexities and existing peace agreements.
Seema Malhotra
Lab
Feltham and Heston
Question
What specific steps will be taken by the Secretary of State to ensure that the findings of the Ballymurphy inquest can contribute towards a more just process for other families dealing with similar issues?
Minister reply
The Government is committed to learning from the Ballymurphy case and ensuring that its lessons are applied to help deliver justice and reconciliation across Northern Ireland.
Louise Haigh
Lab
Sheffield Heeley
Question
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. As the Secretary of State has outlined, in five separate shootings across three days in August 1971 in the Ballymurphy estate in west Belfast, 10 innocent civilians were shot dead, nine by the armed forces, with evidence unable conclusively to determine in the tenth case. Among them were a priest, a mother of eight and a former soldier who had fought and was injured in World War Two.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady and I are overwhelmingly united in our thoughts for the Ballymurphy families and for all families who have suffered so much, and so unnecessarily, during and since the troubles. My apology and the Prime Minister’s apology yesterday to the Ballymurphy families cannot change what they have endured, but it will be followed by action to prevent others from continuing to go through the same lengthy and traumatic experiences that have taken too long to get to the truth.
Simon Hoare
Con
North Dorset
Question
This is clearly a tremendously emotional moment. I thank the Secretary of State for prior notice of his statement and for its tone and its contents. For many, the events of which we are speaking happened a lifetime ago, but for the victims’ families and their communities they happened yesterday and every day since they occurred.
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes a really important point. In looking at how we move forward, I am determined that we will work to do everything we can with our partners not just in Irish Government but across the parties, victims’ groups and civic society in Northern Ireland to ensure reconciliation and for an opportunity to recognise the accountability of the fact that Northern Ireland has suffered for far too long from the traumas of the past.
Question
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. The pain that the loved ones of the victims of the Ballymurphy killings have gone through over the past half century is unimaginable.
Minister reply
As I have already said, both I and the Prime Minister have apologised actually, and the Prime Minister, as I said in my statement, is writing directly to the families as well. No apology can make up for the loss and the pain that the families have been through. We need to get to the truth and we need to allow the families of the victims who want that information—the knowledge of what happened—to be able to get to it much, much quicker.
Julian Smith
Con
Skipton and Ripon
Question
Welcomes the Government's apology but expresses concern about delays in engaging with victims' groups as committed to in New Decade, New Approach agreement. Asks for a timeline for comprehensive discussions with these groups before bringing legislation forward.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the complexity of legacy issues and reiterates commitment to working together to find ways to deliver on Stormont House principles efficiently. Emphasises ongoing engagement across civic society, including victims' representatives, Irish Government and others.
Diane Abbott
Ind
Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Question
Offers condolences and praises families for their pursuit of truth over decades. Highlights the Ballymurphy massacre as a case of murder of unarmed civilians, calling for prosecutions.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the delay in providing information to victims' families and notes that prosecutions are matters for the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland.
Gregory Campbell
DUP
East Londonderry
Question
Highlights the long wait of Ballymurphy families and others affected by the IRA's actions, such as those impacted by the Claudy bomb. Questions if an amnesty will affect them.
Minister reply
Acknowledges complexity and sensitivity of issues and highlights importance of accountability for state actions while also mentioning that other sides should do the same.
Question
Welcomes fresh approach to securing lasting change by fairly drawing a line under pre-Good Friday troubles. Proposes a wider statute of limitations and truth recovery mechanism applicable on all sides for Northern Ireland's reconciliation.
Minister reply
Agrees with the need for political solution over military one but reiterates commitment to learning from past experiences and delivering efficiently for families.
Colum Eastwood
SDLP
Foyle
Question
Challenges Secretary of State's statement on Army errors, calling the shooting of Joan Connolly by British Army murder. Asks if PM will meet Ballymurphy families to explain his position.
Minister reply
Confirms PM is contacting families directly but reiterates commitment to taking accountability for unacceptable actions and learning from past experiences.
Question
Asks if full and frank reports on incidents like Ballymurphy can be sent to the families, should they wish it.
Minister reply
Acknowledges importance of providing information and confirms coroner’s report does give details of individual deaths which will be fed back to families.
Question
Focuses on Ballymurphy families' fight for justice, highlights lack of support for the Government's plans from various groups. Asks if apology includes how Army libelled victims and frustrated process of justice.
Minister reply
Confirms that the apology covers not just the incident but also subsequent period where families faced frustrations in seeking justice.
Barnet and Camden
Question
Welcomes the statement and the apology, and commends the coroner for coming to a definitive decision in the inquest. Questions whether we need to acknowledge the hurt and pain felt by all sides of the community and that we need a spirit of reconciliation so that we can move on in Northern Ireland.
Minister reply
Agrees with the MP's sentiment, emphasising the need to learn from the past and move forward towards reconciliation, stability, and sustainability. Stresses that there is a determination across Northern Ireland for a prosperous future.
Tony Lloyd
Lab
Manchester Central
Question
Recognises the importance of truth in reconciliation but highlights the corruption and murder by state agents involved in Ballymurphy, questioning whether every effort will be made to reveal what happened over the years and including access to security service records.
Minister reply
Acknowledges that families such as those affected at Ballymurphy have waited too long for information. Confirms efforts will be made to provide quicker understanding and access to all available information from both Northern Ireland and UK state.
Suzanne Webb
Con
Croydon North
Question
Welcomes the Government's commitment in the Queen’s Speech to bring forward measures addressing the legacy of the troubles, asking whether these measures will focus on providing answers for victims and their loved ones to heal divisions.
Minister reply
Confirms a commitment to finding ways forward that provide certainty for those affected by the troubles while delivering reconciliation for Northern Ireland.
Conor McGinn
Lab
Wirral West
Question
Welcomes the apology but questions why the Prime Minister is not directly apologising and asks whether the Government can impose a unilateral plan to address conflict legacy without putting victims first.
Minister reply
Clarifies that the Prime Minister has been directly apologising to families. Emphasises finding a system that works for all affected parties, taking into account consultations since 2014.
Jonathan Gullis
Lab
Harrow West
Question
Welcomes the statement and urges outlining a timeline for bringing forward new measures in this parliamentary session to deliver answers for those affected by the legacy of the troubles.
Minister reply
Confirms that legislation will be brought forward as set out in the Queen’s Speech, focusing on reconciliation and delivering for victims, veterans, and people of Northern Ireland.
Carol Monaghan
SNP
Glasgow North West
Question
Welcomes humility but questions why the Prime Minister is not making a statement, asking when the Prime Minister will meet families to apologise for unlawful killings.
Minister reply
Confirms that the Prime Minister has been directly apologising to affected families.
Ian Paisley Jnr
DUP
North Antrim
Question
Thanks the Secretary of State for his heartfelt apology, expressing solidarity with victims and emphasising the importance of not rewriting history in a way that undermines peacekeepers. Acknowledges the complexity of the situation.
Minister reply
Acknowledges MP's comments, stressing the need to focus on pain and loss experienced by Ballymurphy families while recognising the difficult compromises made for peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland.
Karin Smyth
Lab
Bristol South
Question
When I speak to people about Northern Ireland, I apply a simple test, which is, “What if this happened in Bristol, and not Belfast?” Much like the people of Belfast, the people of Bristol sometimes wish they had a different Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has said that he wants to learn from the experience of the past, so I say gently to him that the experience of the past 100 years is that when a British Prime Minister ignores what is going on in Northern Ireland, we see a difficult situation that does not improve.
Minister reply
I am afraid that what the hon. Lady has just outlined is wrong on a number of points. Apart from the things that I have outlined, the Prime Minister is in contact with the Ballymurphy families directly, and there is the statement he made yesterday and the conversation he had with the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister yesterday.
Claire Hanna
SDLP
Belfast South and Mid Down
Question
The chaos and impunity of the Ballymurphy killings contributed to the near-collapse of the rule of law in Northern Ireland. Does the Secretary of State acknowledge that good did come this week because lies were confounded, the truth was affirmed and the innocence of victims was vindicated? Does he agree that those who run from truth and accountability are those in state agencies and those in the militias who know the most?
Minister reply
As I mentioned in my opening remarks, I agree that there is no doubt, and we do need to acknowledge, that the actions and the particular incidents at Ballymurphy did fuel further reactions and retaliations that drove the troubles. We need to take accountability; that is why I referenced that in my statement.
Carla Lockhart
DUP
Upper Bann
Question
I take the Secretary of State back to 8.30 am on this day, 13 May, in 1994 in Hill Street, Lurgan in my constituency of Upper Bann. Fred Anthony, a Protestant cleaner, was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb. No one has ever been charged in relation to this cold-blooded, ruthless murder. What is the Secretary of State’s message to the Anthony family today, and what support can he give them to find truth and justice?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady has again highlighted the very sad reality of too many families not yet having an understanding of the information that they need to be able to know what happened and the truth, which gives an ability to move forward. We are very clear that our objective of addressing the legacy of the troubles and delivering on our commitments means that we want to deal with the past in a way that helps people in Northern Ireland.
Question
Taking 50 years for the truth to be established about the killing of the 10 innocent Ballymurphy civilians is truly shameful, and the truth uncovered is due to the tireless efforts of the families of the victims. Why has it taken so very long to get to the truth? Can the Secretary of State tell us what specific action his Government will take to reassure the people of Northern Ireland that they are unequivocally committed to discovering the truth about all unsolved killings and to deal appropriately with legacy issues, as set out in the Stormont agreement?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady highlights the point that I have been making consistently: this has taken far too long. It should not take 50 years to get to the truth. We must make sure that it does not take 50 years for people in the future.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
The Prime Minister’s predecessor came to this House to report on the findings of the Bloody Sunday inquiry. His presence helped build reconciliation. Families in Ballymurphy have served a half-century sentence waiting for justice. It should therefore have been the Prime Minister addressing Parliament today. Peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland can never be taken for granted. It has to be won, and that starts by showing a commitment to finding truth and justice.
Minister reply
Within that, it is absolutely right that we want to make sure that families are able to get to the truth and the information without not just the delay, but the pain and difficulty that families are having at the moment. Obviously, the Ballymurphy families have been through a completely unacceptable experience over the last 50 years.
Clive Efford
Lab
Eltham and Chislehurst
Question
Given the gravity of this report, I think that the Prime Minister should be at the Dispatch Box making this statement. In five separate incidents, over the weekend of Operation Demetrius, 10 people, who posed no threat and bore no arms, were shot dead. That must raise questions about the preparation for Operation Demetrius—what was said to those soldiers about the yellow card that each of them should have been carrying. What can the Government do, and particularly the MOD, to shed light on what was said and done in preparation for Operation Demetrius?
Minister reply
As the hon. Gentleman said, and as others have rightly said and I have said, the families should never have had to wait 50 long years to hear Justice Keegan’s findings this week. Obviously, I convey my thanks to her for the work that she and the team have done. I can promise, as I said earlier, that that will be followed by action to prevent others who have lost loved ones—from all communities, including the armed forces—from going through the same continual, lengthy and traumatic experience to get to the heart of the truth of what happened. It is an awkward truth for us all that the prospect of prosecutions resulting from criminal investigations is vanishingly small, but we have seen that a sense of justice can be provided through truth, acknowledgment and information.
Question
The Secretary of State said in his statement that Ballymurphy should not have happened, and of course we all agree, but it did happen; and it happened again six months later, in the city of Derry. The Prime Minister now needs to come to that Dispatch Box and apologise properly, on behalf of us all, to the people of Ballymurphy. “Entirely innocent”, Mr Speaker: “entirely innocent”. Does the Secretary of State accept then, given the time it can take, and has taken, for the families of the innocents to get the truth of events, that it must mean that justice does have no limitation? If so, will his Government pause now and reconsider their recent moves to create such a limit for justice?
Minister reply
Look, as I said earlier, the Prime Minister has given an unreserved public apology for what happened in Ballymurphy. I am here, the Government are here today, not just apologising but taking accountability for what happened and what should not have happened, not just at the time of Ballymurphy—obviously that was unacceptable—but for what was also unacceptable: what has happened since, in that 50 years that we have had to wait. But in answer to the hon. Gentleman I will be very clear to the House, as I have been, I hope, through the course of this morning: we are determined that families need to get to the truth. They need to be able to know what happened. There are too many cases out there unresolved, where families do not have the information of what happened, and therefore it is impossible for them to be able to have an opportunity not only to know about their past but to really look forward to their future.
Shadow Comment
Louise Haigh
Shadow Comment
The Secretary of State outlined the tragic events at Ballymurphy in 1971, where 10 innocent civilians were killed. The families have faced compounded trauma from lies and inadequate investigations for decades. The coroner's findings confirm these deaths were unjustified. Families' long wait to clear their names is a failure of justice. Many more families still fight for answers, like Cathy McCann who survived an IRA bomb but lost her father to the B Specials. The government’s plan to provide amnesty without consultation and support from Northern Ireland communities or political parties would hinder reconciliation and fail to deliver truth and justice. I call on the Prime Minister to publicly apologise as he did after Bloody Sunday.
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