Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for Veterans

Wednesday 7 January 2026 · 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 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sarah Pochin asked the Secretary of State about steps being taken to support Northern Ireland veterans.
  • The Secretary of State disagreed with the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner's assessment that the troubles Bill treats veterans more harshly than terrorists.
  • The Secretary of State noted that there have been more prosecutions of paramilitary terrorists than of soldiers.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Pochin Reform Runcorn and Helsby
Northern Ireland Veterans
Context

The issue of support for Operation Banner veterans in Northern Ireland, including legal protections.

Question

What steps he is taking to support Northern Ireland veterans. Does the Secretary of State agree with the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner that the troubles Bill treats our brave veterans more harshly than terrorists?

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

I do not agree with that assessment. I have had many discussions with the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner, and if one looks at the facts, including at the prosecutions that have taken place, there have been more prosecutions of paramilitary terrorists than of soldiers. Indeed, there has been one conviction of a soldier for a troubles-related offence in the past 27 and a half years.

Answered
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