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Victims and Survivors (Northern Ireland) (Order) 2006

It is perhaps appropriate that this Grand Committee on Northern Ireland should meet in the enhanced surroundings of the Moses Room. I hope that this augurs well for the new beginning for Northern Ireland. We on the Liberal Democrat Benches welcome the order. At the meeting of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body in Northern Ireland this week, some concern was expressed by the people of Northern Ireland about the process of the selection of the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors—not the person, but the process. Perhaps other noble Lords will mention this later. However, I put on record our support for the order. Victims organisations have grown greatly in Northern Ireland. There is now almost a victims industry, which may not, for a number of reasons, improve its clients’ lives in any way. There is a lot of cynicism about the value and the work of government initiatives. There is a feeling that there is too much bureaucracy and perhaps not enough feeling about the concerns of these desperate people. We on the Liberal Democrat Benches support an overarching strategic approach to providing services to victims and survivors. That approach must be focused on victims and survivors and led by them, so that services are seen to be delivered and needs are seen to be met. We very much support the appointment of the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors. As I have said, it has been very useful to have Mrs Bertha McDougall in post as an interim commissioner since December last year. We welcome the clarification given in the Explanatory Memorandum to the order that the position of commissioner will be advertised and that the appointment will fall within the remit of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland. However, that does not appear to have taken place, as I understand it. We believe that the commissioner should be independent of Government. An independent commissioner would help to improve communication and minimise formality, so that services can be effectively and sensitively delivered. The commissioner should be similar, in relation to independence and autonomy, to the Commissioner for Children and Young People and should be able to undertake, commission or provide financial support for research into all matters relating to victims and survivors. I should like to make a few broader points about victims and survivors in general. I am still concerned about funding generally for victims groups. It is vital that all funding sources, processes and procedures are carefully examined and sustained. Can the Minister reassure the Committee that efforts will be made to ensure that victims groups are made aware of all sources of funding and that procedures for applying for such funding will not be overcomplicated? That is an important point. One-to-one counselling has proved very worth while to all concerned, including those most unsure about coming forward for help and support. This whole area of training and counselling must be sustained and there must be absolute confidence that adequate funding will be there to sustain it well into the future so that someone benefiting from one-to-one counselling does not suddenly find that it ceases when he or she is in most need. This is a sensitive aid and it is vital that it is targeted properly. Time-limiting these groups is totally unacceptable and could greatly set back those in need. This service cannot be measured. Many children and young people who have suffered in the Troubles are now, for the first time, showing the effects of the disruption and the terror that they suffered at an earlier age. The effects of losing parents or siblings, being awakened late at night, being caught in violent situations and so many other experiences have often been bottled up in self-defence and are now causing disruption and distress in a wide range of ways. How can one guess the length of counselling and support necessary for them? Will the Minister inform the Committee whether any progress has been made on the proposal for a study to be carried out into the needs of carers who look after victims and survivors? Carers have been largely left to themselves, often in difficult circumstances. It is high time that they were provided with greater assistance. Have the Government given any thought to the proposals made by the Alliance Party to the St Andrews talks that the British and Irish Governments should appoint an independent commission, composed of domestic and international experts, to consult, deliberate and make a series of recommendations to address outstanding issues relating to the past and its legacy and their linkage to the promotion of reconciliation? Addressing the past and its legacy is fundamental to the process of reconciliation and building a shared future. The failure to do this in a comprehensive and holistic manner is, I believe, a barrier to political progress.