Sinn Féin Leas Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill has said the Stormont House Agreement must be implemented in full. 

Michelle O’Neill was speaking after DUP leader Arlene Foster suggested in an interview this morning revisiting the agreement her party signed up to. 

Michelle O’Neill said: 

“The British and Irish governments and the political parties, including the DUP, signed up to the Stormont House Agreement to ensure that victims of the conflict could get full disclosure about the killings of their loved ones. 

“That agreement must be implemented in full, including the mechanisms for dealing with the legacy of the conflict, and cannot be cherry picked by the British government or the DUP. 

“The British government has been resiling from the commitments it made at Stormont House and has delayed implementing the agreement for more than five years, further delaying truth and justice to the victims and their families.

“That is unacceptable.

“I have requested an urgent meeting with the British Secretary of State Julian Smith as I have serious concerns about proposed legislation on victims’ pensions and continued attempts to put British soldiers who murdered Irish citizens above the law.

“The British government appears intent on excluding large sections of our society from accessing pensions and support.

“There is also a very clear attempt to create a hierarchy of victims and to move away from the legal definition of a victim as outlined in the 2006 Victims and Survivors Order.

“These proposals have caused great hurt over recent days.

“The British government needs to implement its commitments in full in a human rights compliant manner.”