Gavin Robinson said:
“We welcome this decisive move by the Government to repeal this unconscionable legislation.
Addressing the legacy of our past is difficult and divisive. In a society where there is so much hurt, pain, and grief, it is important that the hope of justice remains. This legislation was fundamentally flawed and morally repugnant because it extinguished that hope for many innocent victims.
As the Government now embarks on a new process of dealing with the past, the DUP will remain consistent in the principles we have always adopted on the issue of legacy. Firstly, the door to justice must remain open, and secondly, there is no equivalence between the innocent victim of terrorism and the perpetrator of terrorism.
We urge the Government to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors, because repeating them would only cause more emotional distress to victims and damage the work of reconciliation in our society.
We also urge the new Prime Minister to use his meeting this evening with the new Taoiseach to press upon him the need for Dublin to open up the pathway to truth regarding the role of the Irish Government, Garda, and wider society in the Troubles. Thus far, Dublin has behaved like a spectator, lecturing us all about dealing with the Troubles yet failing to see their own shortcomings. It is time for truth from Dublin."