The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has welcomed the announcement by the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that it is to launch an inquiry to examine the UK Government’s new proposals to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Responding to the announcement Rev Daniel Kane, Convener of PCI’s Council for Public Affairs said, “I would like to thank the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee for keeping these matters to the fore through this inquiry, which PCI looks forward to engaging with. I would also strongly encourage all those with an interest in the legacy of the past to engage fully with the Committee’s inquiry and make their views heard.”
The Committee’s announcement came after Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE MP, announced new government proposals last month for dealing with the past.
Mr Kane continued, “As a result of the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament, along with our Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Trevor Gribben, I have written to Mr Lewis, to express the Church’s concerns about the government’s new proposals for dealing with the legacy of the past.
“While the Stormont House Agreement was not perfect, it was clear that each proposed element for dealing with the past could not stand alone, as each required the others in seeking to provide a balanced approach. By contrast, the Secretary of State’s statement focuses primarily on one particular aspect – investigations. This new approach does so without reference to, or consultation with, victims groups, local political parties, the Irish Government or wider society in general.
“Our biggest concern is the significant focus on information retrieval with scant regard to reconciliation or building relationships. Rather than being ‘better reconciled with our difficult history’, as Mr Lewis suggested in his statement, it is PCI’s view that the emphasis should be on reconciliation that leads to a better future – as reconciliation is fundamentally about the restoration of broken relationships. This will be the ultimate standard by which the success, or failure, of any approach to legacy in Northern Ireland will be judged.
“Our Moderator, Dr William Henry, along with other Church Leaders, was able to raise some of these points with Minister of State, Robin Walker MP in a recent call on this issue and he looks forward to further engaging in the coming weeks.”
Mr Kane concluded by saying, “As we said in our response to the 2018 public consultation on legacy, we hope and pray that being able to address the past effectively will enable us all, ‘to re-imagine and create a better future based on a more reconciled community at peace with each other’, and that remains our goal.”
You can read more news from PCI on their website here.
