Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Northern Ireland Troubles Bill

Wednesday 7 January 2026 · 6 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 6 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Luke Akehurst asked the Secretary of State if he had met the Special Air Service Regimental Association to address concerns about the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, and the Secretary of State confirmed he had met them recently.
  • Mr Paul Foster inquired about the impact of the 2023 legacy Act on the Police Service of Northern Ireland's investigations and the Secretary of State acknowledged that families could refer cases to the commission.
  • Mr Gregory Campbell questioned whether the Bill would prevent paramilitaries from serving on the victims and survivors advisory group, and the Secretary of State assured the House that this would be addressed in Committee.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Akehurst Lab North Durham
Northern Ireland Veterans
Context

The MP is concerned about the impact of the legislation on veterans in North Durham, particularly those who served in special forces units.

Question

No matter what unit they served in, veterans in North Durham are particularly concerned about the impact of the new legislation on those who served in the special forces. Can the Secretary of State reassure me that he has met the Special Air Service Regimental Association and is responding to its specific concerns?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)

I am very happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. I did indeed meet the Special Air Service Regimental Association recently, as part of the discussions that I and my colleagues in the Ministry of Defence are having with veterans. We are listening to the concerns being expressed and, as I have said to the House on a number of occasions, we want to ensure that the legislation responds to them.

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Q2 Paul Foster Lab South Ribble
Northern Ireland Veterans
Context

The MP refers to the previous government's legacy act which required the closure of over 1,000 investigations, including those into the deaths of soldiers and veterans.

Question

Under the previous Government’s unlawful Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, the Police Service of Northern Ireland was required to shut down more than 1,000 investigations, including 225 investigations into the deaths of soldiers and veterans. Will the Secretary of State please assure the families of murdered British armed forces personnel that, should they wish to approach the reformed commission, it will consider their case and may be able to provide them with the answers that many of them have long sought?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)

My hon. Friend is quite right to draw attention to one of the implications of the 2023 legacy Act in shutting down all those investigations. He is right that families are perfectly free to refer cases to the commission. I know that the commission is keen to investigate as many cases as come its way, in order to provide answers for those families, who have waited so long.

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Q3 Gregory Campbell DUP East Londonderry
Context

The MP is concerned about the exclusion of paramilitaries from serving on the victims and survivors advisory group.

Question

Engaging with and listening to stakeholders is good, but there needs to be a positive outcome to both. There also needs to be specific and clear references in the Bill to paramilitaries not being permitted to serve on the victims and survivors advisory group. Will that be the case?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)

I have already given the House that assurance from this Dispatch Box. When we consider the Bill in Committee, we will have the opportunity to debate the Bill in its current form and the many amendments that I can see have already been tabled.

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Q4 David Davis Con Goole and Pocklington
Northern Ireland
Context

The MP questions the support for the legislation from political parties in Northern Ireland, noting that previous government's act had no such support.

Question

The Secretary of State has stated many times that the previous Government’s legislation in this area had no support from political parties in Northern Ireland. Can he tell the House which political parties support his legislation?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)

All the political parties in Northern Ireland that expressed their profound opposition to immunity have welcomed the fact that immunity will go under the legislation that we have brought before the House—that includes the right hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), the DUP leader, who supports its removal. That is a sign that the Government have been listening to views in Northern Ireland.

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Q5 Alex Burghart Con Brentwood and Ongar
Northern Ireland Veterans
Context

The MP cites statements from former senior SAS officers criticizing the legislation, questioning if any former senior military figures support it.

Question

Happy new year, Mr Speaker. Over Christmas, seven former senior SAS officers wrote in The Telegraph: ‘In this Troubles Bill, the Government is complicit in this war on our Armed Forces.’ A few days later, the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner, appointed by this Government, said that the Bill treats veterans “worse than terrorists” and is eating at the very fabric of the Armed Forces. Can the Secretary of State tell the House which former senior officers support the Bill?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)

I do not agree with either of the characterisations that the hon. Gentleman just referred to. I am confident that the protections, which we have designed specifically for veterans, will change their experience in relation to the legacy process. However, as I have said to the House, we continue to talk to veterans and veterans organisations. I want to produce a Bill that can offer the reassurance they are looking for: that we have a fair and proportionate system that recognises their service to the country.

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Q6 Paul Kohler Lib Dem Wimbledon
Northern Ireland Veterans
Context

The MP is concerned about the lack of action despite meetings with ministers and assurances that their views are being heard.

Question

Happy new year, Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State was sitting alongside the Minister for the Armed Forces on Monday, when I asked him whether he was listening to the concerns of veterans regarding the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. The Minister convinced me that he is listening, and we just heard the Secretary of State do likewise, but is anyone acting on those concerns? Before Christmas, at the Dispatch Box, the Secretary of State promised to write to me detailing which veterans groups he had met, but I have heard nothing since. I also wrote to the Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to request a meeting to discuss veterans’ ongoing concerns, but I have heard nothing since. Will the Secretary of State please detail all the veterans groups he has met, and meet me to discuss their continuing concerns?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)

I apologise to the hon. Gentleman that he has not received the letter to which he referred, and I assure him that I will remedy that very promptly. Defence Ministers and I have met a large number of organisations, and I would just point out that none of the six protections that the Government have put forward were contained in the previous Government’s legacy Act—not a single one. We intend to continue to listen, and to respond to the concerns that have been raised.

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