Security minister Dan Jarvis says scrapping immunity scheme would give relatives a renewed chance for answers
The families of more than 70 people killed by the IRA and other paramilitaries in unsolved attacks on English soil can once again hope for justice under the new Northern Ireland Troubles bill, the UK government has claimed.
As MPs in the House of Commons prepared to debate the bill for the first time on Tuesday, the Home Office said there remained 77 unsolved killings, including 39 British armed forces personnel in English towns and cities, from the time of the Troubles. It said more than 1,000 people were injured in the attacks.
Until now much of the focus of discussion about the bill has been the possible impact it may have on former and current British service personnel who could face legal proceedings over incidents that happened decades ago.
But the UK government is keen to stress that if its new bill becomes law, it opens up the possibility of justice – or at least answers – for families who lost loved ones dating back half a century.
