Thank you to constituents who have written to me
about the plight of Dennis Hutchings and other veterans who served in Northern
Ireland during the Troubles who are now facing possible prosecution.
I have nothing but the highest degree of respect
for our military personnel and our veterans. These are the people who are
willing to put their lives on the line to protect and defend our great nation.
In order to gain a greater appreciation for the
work of the men and women in our armed forces who risk everything to defend our
great nation, I decided to join the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme last year
and committed to regularly visiting military bases and personnel across the
country to learn more about and get a taste of their work.
Last year the Government ran a consultation on
proposals to find the best way to meet the needs of victims and survivors and
to help people address the impact of the Troubles in the areas of information,
justice and acknowledgement and help Northern Ireland transition to long
term-term peace and stability. The consultation has now closed and the feedback
is being analysed.
Many of my parliamentary colleagues including the
current and previous Prime Ministers have expressed their concern at the
current situation where those who are most prone to being investigated for
issues that happened in the past are those in our Armed Forces or those who
served in law enforcement in Northern Ireland, while terrorists who ought to be
investigated for their crimes are not being subject to the full force of law.
I share their concerns and want to see greater
fairness in our justice system.
I also commend many of my colleagues who have
pressed the Government to deal with legacy cases by protecting our soldiers and
putting them first, while resisting any attempts to establish institutions that
would scapegoat our military veterans to pander to Sinn Fein.
I intend on doing everything I can in my capacity
as your local MP to support reconciliation and healing in Northern Ireland,
while ensuring that nobody, especially our ex-servicemen, are unfairly
prosecuted for lawful actions they took.
I will also be seeking to raise this matter directly
with the Secretaries of State for Defence and for Northern Ireland and bring to
their attention the points which constituents have so convincingly made when I
next see them.
