After years of campaigning and cross-party pressure in Parliament, a scheme was announced in 2019 to provide compensation payments to severely disabled people in Northern Ireland who were victims of terrorism. The legislation was passed at Westminster, but the devolved Northern Ireland Executive was given responsibility for implementing it.
The Executive dragged its feet. Last summer the courts ordered it to do its duty, and yet no serious progress has been made. The Executive says that the UK government must meet the estimated £800 million cost; the UK government says that the Executive has been provided with sufficient funds through its block grant.
There is a great deal of anger In Northern Ireland over this issue. The Lords discussed it at oral question time on 20 January when strong feelings were expressed. Alistair Lexden said: “Should not both the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive hang their heads in shame at the unconscionable delay in implementing a scheme for which both Houses of Parliament have repeatedly called? Is it not disgraceful that while Ministers wrangle, people are dying without the compensation which is their due?”
The reply he was given merely confirmed the deadlock: “It is up to the Northern Ireland Executive to take this forward. The Secretary of Secretary of State is firmly committed to seeing the introduction of this scheme.” It was a deeply unsatisfactory answer.
