Commenting Sir Jeffrey said, "The Government's proposal for a Statute of Limitations is not just opposed by every political party in Northern Ireland but the Commission for Victims and Survivors survey showed overwhelming opposition also from victims themselves. If we are to have a truly victim-focused process then the views of those victims must be put front and centre.
Although the Irish Government claim to oppose the direct proposals from the UK Government, their inaction and evasion of action in relation to legacy cases in their jurisdiction or where murders were carried out from their territory means that victims are denied access to justice.
I made clear to the Irish Foreign Minister, that Victims will not tolerate attempts by the Irish Government to evade their responsibility for the actions of the Irish State or murders that occurred in their jurisdiction during the troubles. We need to see specific proposals from them on how they will deal with legacy cases and offer the prospect of justice to victims.
Whilst many victims know that the passage of time makes securing justice difficult, that does not mean that the prospect of securing such closure should be removed. Attempts to somehow sweep what happened during the troubles under the carpet are not only hurtful to victims, but they will also be harmful the prospect of encouraging reconciliation and building a more peaceful Northern Ireland."
