Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply and I welcome the Government's ongoing strong opposition to this deplorable legislation. It has united all the political parties on this island, all advocacy groups and all groups that have worked with victims over the years. As the Minister quite rightly said, it is perpetrator-focused. It is not victim-centred. We cannot successfully deal with legacy issues unless it is victim-centred. It has to be victim-focused. I welcome the recent statements by the archbishops of Armagh, who made a very cogent and strong argument against the legislation. This British legislation proposes that perpetrators of heinous crimes, be they murderers from paramilitary organisations or murderers from the British state forces, be able to give themselves an amnesty from the most heinous crimes, including murders, bombings and maimings of innocent people.

Any legislation of that sort cannot be accepted.

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