Mr. Padraig Yeates:

As was said, we accept fully that there are options. We are proposing an option. We are not saying we have the answer. We have one possible answer. At no stage have we ever said we would stand in the way of people taking prosecutions, whether they are taken by the police or families are appealing for that. I want to make it absolutely clear we are not saying that. We are talking about cases where people have information and are willing to give that information in return for a conditional immunity. There would be compellability and if people do not act in good faith, they will lose that immunity. It is conditional.

That, in itself, is a pressure point. Over the years I have known many people who died violently and many others who survived in one way or another. I could have counted on two hands the number of people I knew who would engage with that process. I can now count them on one hand because people have died. One person has dementia, so he is gone also. They are all men. The point is that there are people willing to give information. Their motives vary enormously, but that is a resource that should be tapped into and should be facilitated. From my background and social circle, I am of the view that if it worked for some, others would come forward because people want reconciliation.