Speeches by Benn.

“We are appointing historians, who will be able to look at all the stuff and produce that. But I want to take forward the memorialisation and the other two main bits, which have momentarily escaped me. Themes and patterns is the second—”

“The removal of the word “Reconciliation” from the title of the commission does not in any way suggest that the Government thinks that reconciliation is not important, but you cannot effect reconciliation by legislation. When I went to WAVE, a gentleman whose brother, I think, was murdered said, “Why do you expect me to…”

“The criminal justice process is separate. These protections are not applying to the criminal justice process; they are applying to coroners courts and to the commission. The criminal justice process is entirely separate.”

“Clearly, in respect of this consideration, of course for veterans only, because this is about contact through the MOD. That will not apply to other witnesses.”

“There will be a protocol in relation to protection from cold calling or letters landing on your doormat that you were not expecting. The plan is to have protocols in respect of both the commission and the coroner service that if they wish to speak to a veteran, they will tell the MOD. I suspect that, in practice at the…”

“Some of these considerations are already available to everyone in respect of coroners courts. The right to seek anonymity is already available for coroners courts. We will apply it to the commission, through clause 56 under the legislation. The right to give evidence remotely, as you will be aware, and to have regard t…”

“We intend to take that forward through the discussion of a protocol with them.”

“In other words, to give evidence from elsewhere in Northern Ireland, but not going to the coroner’s court.”

“I think the fact that they are going to come into being and that we are going to legislate for them has been welcomed. However, there remains a lot of fear and worry about what these changes will mean. In respect of immunity, which a lot of this is crystallised around, although it was put on to the statute book, it was…”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Yes, I’ve got it.”

“It just takes a moment to register; that is all.”

“It is all going to depend on the facts and the circumstances of the individual case; there is no getting away from it. I cannot give a blanket assurance in respect to all of the cases that will come before the commission and have to be considered. Obviously, this issue is currently the subject of live proceedings that …”

“If you are talking about “embarrassing”, I do not think being embarrassed is a national security problem. Q284   Claire Hanna: I would argue that it is; there is information about very squalid practices by paramilitary organisations and the state, and I think it is embarrassment, rather than national security…”

“Well, it said quite a lot. But, anyway, we are expecting, in the not-too-distant future, the final report of Operation Kenova—because that was an interim one, of course.”

“Yes, I—”

“Pardon?”

“I am only too aware of the history, but that is the first point: no Minister can pass to anyone else responsibility for the protection of life and national security. We have to be quite clear about that, and that is something that all Governments recognise, as far as I am aware. Secondly, we are making a number of chan…”

“The first thing I would say is that all Ministers have responsibility for national security. I cannot think of a state in the world, and that includes Ireland—”

“We will find it out and send it to you, if that is okay.”