Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for Veterans: Operation Banner

Monday 19 May 2025 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • John Cooper questioned the Labour Government about their approach to two-tier justice for Northern Ireland veterans.
  • The Minister responded that the Government is addressing the shortcomings of the previous Government's Act on Northern Ireland Troubles.
  • The Minister stated that priority will be given to strengthening protections for veterans to preserve their dignity and respect.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Cooper Con Dumfries and Galloway
Northern Ireland Veterans
Context

The MP referenced the importance of Operation Banner in Northern Ireland and questioned the Government's stance on supporting veterans compared to providing justice.

Question

Operation Banner defeated the IRA militarily and paved the way for the Good Friday agreement, so why are this Labour Government now pushing two-tier justice, to the obvious detriment of our brave Northern Ireland veterans and to the advantage of Gerry Adams and his Sinn Féin fellow travellers? Where is the justice in that?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)

This Government are dealing with the woeful shortcomings of the last Government’s Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. As we do so, we will give priority to strengthening the protections that preserve dignity and respect for our veterans who served in Northern Ireland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specifics of how justice is being prioritized were not addressed

How: Under Review, Working On

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