Jimmy Spratt South Belfast Constituency Office: 15 Cregagh Road, Belfast, BT6 8PX
T: 028 9045 5936 E: jimmyspratt@dup.org.uk
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DUP
That this Assembly urges the Executive to implement the recommendations of the final report by the Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors, entitled ‘Support for Victims and Survivors: Addressing the Human Legacy’
I support the amendment in the name of my colleague Gregory Campbell, and reaffirm my support of the substance of the substantive motion.
This House has a duty to the victims of our past. With that in mind, I commend the work of the Interim Victims’ Commissioner, Bertha McDougall. In producing her report, Mrs McDougall has been a fair and impartial advocate of the rights and needs of victims, and she should be applauded by all Members for her dedication and hard work. The report provides, for the first time, a real and meaningful support structure for victims and their families. That is to be welcomed.
A legacy of hurt and suffering as a result of the terrorist campaign in Northern Ireland was —and, indeed, is — a difficult issue to tackle. For many, it is probably a question of where to start. However, in Mrs McDougall’s report, there is a positive framework and recommendations that, I believe, can make a real and tangible difference to the lives of victims. The fact that the report is driven and moulded by the victim’s voice makes it a suitable guideline to dealing with victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Who would know better than the victims themselves?
The three main areas of the report — funding, services, and the establishment of a forum — cover the broad concerns and desires of victims.
Long-term funding is vital, both for the individuals and the dedicated hard-working victims’ groups who, despite struggling with financial sustainability, provide invaluable support to those who are in need. We must ensure that adequate resources are made available, and I welcome the proposals in the report of the Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors for a flexible long-term funding strategy.
The report is right to state that current funding has proved inadequate to meet identified needs. It is dangerous for groups to rely too heavily on peace funding. Rather than money being directed to those ex-prisoners’ associations that comprise many who created the victims, we should always give priority support to those who have suffered. Victims should be able to avail of assistance in applying for funds, and, indeed, when an application is made, it should be dealt with sensitively and with flexibility.
The Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors recommends that those who have been mentally scarred by our past have their needs provided for. Accredited counselling services are a must as we seek to give those who need help the standard of support that they deserve. An effective delivery model must be implemented and given the necessary financial resources to comprehensively deliver what is required. The Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister must at all times give the necessary support to ensure that there is delivery. I agree with the report’s recommendation that, as a matter of urgency, a new fund be established to cater for the needs of victims. Financial gain can never compensate for physical loss or suffering, but we should provide for those who have lost so much.
For too long, the victim’s voice has not been given the platform that it deserves. I welcome the recommendation to establish a forum, and I encourage OFMDFM to press ahead with implementing that. The DUP believes that victims’ voices should be heard and that we should provide the means to make that possible.
Amendment No 1 does not detract from the report’s recommendations. We seek to create an opportunity to add further provisions to ensure that victims get the best possible outcomes as the situation evolves. I support the call to implement the report of the Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors, but I firmly believe that amendment No 1 gives us an opportunity to further widen the scope of provisions.
Victims may be victims of the past, but they must be cared for and provided for in the future. Victimhood never ends. We must make the hurt and pain easier to live with on a day-to-day basis. I support amendment No 1.