Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon has accused the British government of acting in bad faith on the issue of pensions for victims and survivors of the conflict and said the proposals have left many victims shocked and deeply disappointed.

Linda Dillon said:

“The British government have clearly acted in bad faith briefing the media before meeting with the parties and the victims’ groups who have been involved in long negotiations with the government on the sensitive issue of pensions.

“They have also resiled from another commitment in their New Decade, New Approach document by providing no resources to fund the pensions.

“We have not yet seen the actual legislation being proposed by the British government on pensions for people who were seriously injured, physically or psychologically, in the conflict. However what we have been told today is unacceptable.

“These proposals have left victims shocked and deeply disappointed as the British government had built up an expectation that pensions for victims was going to dealt with in a way which was human rights compliant and in line with the legal definition of a victim.

“The British Government seems once again to be more intent on imposing its narrative of the conflict on people who deserve this pension. 

“This is an attempt to create a hierarchy of victims and this partisan approach to dealing with the legacy of the conflict is unacceptable.

“Sinn Féin Leas Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill has written to the British Secretary of State to raise her concerns about the issue and to seek an urgent meeting.”