Paramilitaries 'won't be paid to leave'
Secretary of State Hilary Benn has insisted paramilitaries will not be paid by the government to "disband".But he defended the government's decision to explore the possibility of formal engagement with paramilitary groups.In a joint move London and Dublin are to appoint an independent expert to assess whether there is merit in beginning a process which could bring about the disbandment of paramilitary groups.It followed a recommendation from the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) which was set up to monitor paramilitary activity.
But the move has been heavily criticised by Justice Minister Naomi Long who said it was "flawed" and would only serve to give paramilitaries "legitimacy in some communities".
'Nursemaid for paramilitaries'
TUV leader Jim Allister also criticised the plan in the House of Commons on Wednesday describing the independent expert as the "nursemaid for paramilitaries".He claimed such groups had "taken successive governments for a ride" over talk of transitioning and "pocketed millions along the way"."When is this pandering going to come to an end?" he asked.SDLP leader Claire Hanna also questioned the move and warned against a "pay day for paramilitaries".But Hilary Benn ruled out any potential payoff for paramilitary groups.He told MPs: "There is no question of paying anybody any money to disband."He also defended the decision to appoint an independent expert to carry out a "scoping exercise" to find out if it was worth having a formal engagement process."The fact is that 26 years after paramilitaries should have left the stage they are still here and are still causing harm to communities," he said."The proposal from the IRC is to go and inquire are there some who do want to leave the stage and if there is merits in having a process."
Justice Minister Naomi Long has said that formal engagement has been tried before and "has not worked".Speaking on the BBC's Talkback programme, the Alliance Party leader said the situation now is "a number of organised groups who have transitioned themselves into organised crime"."Our response has to take account of that," she said.She added that the suggestion that the government might enter formal engagement with these groups would "give them a form of legitimacy that they would not offer for example to a burglar, to a drug dealer, to an extortionist, to a racketeer, to a fraudster".
Mitchell Reiss, a former US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland and a commissioner on the panel of the IRC, said that paramilitarism has "proved more persistent and pernicious" than people imagined at the time of the Good Friday Agreement.Describing paramilitarism as a "blight on certain communities", he said that it has continued to impact economic growth and a "sense of a shared community" in Northern Ireland.He said that "transition has not worked in its current configuration".Reiss said that the direct engagement would enable an "[assessment] of these group's willingness to disband", adding that it would be a "scoping exercise".He said the IRC's hope was that this process of engagement "will come back with a recommendation to the governments as to whether or not they want to set up a formal negotiating process that can move these people off the pitch"."It's more complicated than them just going away, as wonderful as that would be."Reiss said the IRC has been "consistently clear that we're not talking about paying people to go away".
SDLP leader Claire Hanna said there was a sense among the public that "we have soft soaped these guys for years". She said that what "most people see" from paramilitaries is "the racism [and] the sectarianism"."We cannot legitimatise and elevate and pretend that these are conquering armies that we have to help reintegrate into society," she said.
Ulster Unionist Party MLA Doug Beattie said that paramilitaries "shouldn't exist".However, he said that the people in these groups are "people who want to do something positive for their community", people who are "inactive" and "those who want to line their pockets with money and criminality". "The reality then... is there has to be different ways of dealing with these groups."Beatie said that the government's approach should involve "policing and justice" alongside "community transition".
BBC News NI have contacted Sinn Féin to ask them for a comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
10 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Politics watch: Justice Minister under fire over child deportations
Here, we have a look at the issues likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come. Deportation flights The latest deportation flight from the State, to Lagos, Nigeria, has made headlines but not the type the Government will have hoped for. Advertisement Minsiter for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has been criticised for his tweets about the deportation flights, with some accusing him of trying to score political points. Another deportation flight left Dublin last night and landed safely this morning in Lagos, Nigeria. There were 35 people on board who had received but had not complied with Deportation Orders. — Jim O'Callaghan TD (@OCallaghanJim) June 5, 2025 The 35 people deported to Nigeria included five children, and the manner in which two of the children were removed from their primary school in Dublin has led to huge criticim of the Department of Justice, and Mr O'Callaghan. Gardaí from the National Immigration Bureau carried out the operation of removing individuals from the State. The children involved were deported as part of family groups. Principal of St James Primary School in Dublin 8, Ciarán Cronin, told Newstalk that two of the boys who were deported had been in his school for three years. Advertisement 'In 2022 we enrolled 32 children that were living in the Red Cow Hotel. We're on the Luas line, there's no school based out there, so we thought it would be a good fit. 'They all joined our school on a Tuesday, and they were just the most fantastic addition to our school.' He added: 'That that things are done in a respectful; a trauma-informed way. 'This won't leave children for the rest of their lives, that have witnessed that, that have seen that – they're going to be scarred for life from this. It's as if someone's passed away." Advertisement Defending the measures, Mr O'Callaghan said: "I can understand the concern that people have about it, but I just say the system will become untenable if a rule was introduced which said that children could not be deported. 'It would mean that people could come to Ireland with children in the knowledge that no matter what the outcome, they would never be required to leave.' Social Democrats deputy Gary Gannon said that children were being made 'victims for a state wanting to look tough'. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said he will be raising the matter in the Dáil on Tuesday, he also accused Mr O'Callaghan of facilitating 'performative cruelty'. 'What we are witnessing is the Minister for Justice engaging in performative cruelty to boost his Fianna Fáil leadership bid. One of the most powerful people in the state kicking down at the most vulnerable and boasting about it publicly because he wants even more power." Advertisement Mr Murphy added: "'It is disgusting and I will raise this matter in the Dáil when it reconvenes on Tuesday to demand an end to this performative cruelty against children and their families and instead for badly needed investment in local communities and services." Cowen asks for Irish industries to be protected from counter-tariffs Irish MEP Barry Cowen has written to the EU trade commissioner to request the protection of three Irish industries from planned counter-tariffs against the US. The EU is still hoping to make a deal with US president Donald Trump's administration, but a second counter-tariff list is due to take effect on July 14th or earlier if negotiations fail. In the letter to EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, seen by , Mr Cowen requested additional protections for spirits, medical technologies and aviation. Advertisement Mr Cowen first outlines his belief that US bourbon whiskey should be excluded form counter-tariffs, as "this risks triggering US retaliatory tariffs - potentially up to 200 per cent - on EU alcohol exports". He adds that Ireland exports 53 times more whiskey than it importants bourbon - €420 million vs €8 million. Call for 'facts not misinformation' in triple lock debate Fine Gael TD Catherine Callaghan has said the current debate over changes to Ireland's triple lock needs to be grounded in facts and not misinformation. Ms Callaghan is a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Defence and National Security. Ms Callaghan, a TD for Carlow-Kilkenny and a former member of the Defence Forces who served in Lebanon, has said that under the current triple lock system, countries like Russia and leaders like Vladimir Putin have the power to veto Ireland's participation in peacekeeping. 'We don't believe that Putin or others should have a veto on whether our troops can be deployed on peacekeeping missions. 'Currently members of the UN Security Council bind Ireland's hands on peacekeeping missions, when these are decisions that should be made by our Government and the Dáil." Ms Callaghan pointed to the fact that no new peacekeeping missions have been approved by the UN Security Council since 2014. Abroad In the US, the fallout between Donald Trump and Elon Musk is the main talking point. Mr Musk said Mr Trump would not have won the presidential election without his support, while he also claimed the US president was in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Mr Trump threatened to pull the government contracts of Mr Musk's SpaceX. He also warned there would be "serious consequences" for Mr Musk, if he funds Democratic candidates . In a telephone interview with NBC News, Mr Trump declined to say what those consequences would be, and went on to add that he had not had discussions about whether to investigate Mr Musk. Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive was over, Mr Trump said, "I would assume so, yeah." In the UK, Reform UK are once again dominating the political debate. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said employers should be able to decide if their staff can wear burkas in the workplace. It comes after Reform's newest MP Sarah Pochin asked Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions whether he would support such a ban on burkas.
STV News
15 hours ago
- STV News
John Swinney to host summit on reducing youth violence
First Minister John Swinney will host a summit on reducing youth violence across Scotland in a bid to prevent knife crime. The Scottish Government pledged that funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will rise by 7% to £1.217m. The money comes in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay, 15, and Kayden Moy, 16, who both died this year after allegedly being stabbed. Three teenage boys, aged 14, 15, and 16 years old have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Amen Teklay, an Eritrean refugee, in Glasgow on March 5. PA Media People attend a vigil for Eritrean refugee Amen Teklay, 15, who died from fatal injuries in March (Mike Boyd/PA Wire). In recent weeks, three teenage boys – a pair aged 17, and a 14-year-old – have appeared in court charged with the murder of Kayden Moy who was attacked on Irvine Beach, North Ayrshire, on May 17 and died in hospital. Later this month, a march against knife crime, Parents Against Knives, will take place in Glasgow organised by the family of Kory McCrimmon, 16, who died after he was stabbed in a park in Glasgow's east end on May 21 2024. Police Scotland said that the total number of serious assaults by 11 to 18-year-olds fell 27% between 2019/20 and 2024/25 from 428 to 313, according to the Scottish Government. An additional £82,000 funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit was announced this week, and Medics Against Violence also received increased funding of up to £345,000 while a further £156,000 has been awarded to the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme. The summit on Thursday will include the Justice and Education secretaries, Ministers for Children and for Victims and Community Safety, cross-party MSPs, youth workers and community programmes. It follows discussions led by Mr Swinney to hear young people and families' experiences and ideas on possible solutions, and will focus on education and community engagement with young people and possible strategies preventing them from turning to anti-social behaviour or carrying a weapon. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'Scotland remains a safe place to live. 'But more needs to be done to change the attitudes and behaviours of some who are at risk of violence, or young people considering carrying a weapon. 'There is no place for violence in Scotland and anyone who commits a crime will face the consequences. 'Our work remains focused on ensuring our prevention and punishment measures respond to the changing behaviours of young people. This includes ensuring good school and community engagement with young people, appropriate police powers and tackling the root causes of violence. 'At this meeting we want to hear the views of the youth work and third sector representatives on what more, or different, can be done, within the current financial climate, to help address this issue. 'The role of youth work and grassroots community intervention is key. 'We all must work together to help young people feel safe and realise that carrying a knife is never the answer.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Andrew Malkinson vows to continue campaign for reform after 17 years wrongfully jailed
Andrew Malkinson, who was exonerated last year after spending 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, has said that his fight to reform the legal system is far from over. Mr Malkinson, 59, had his conviction overturned in 2023 after years of maintaining his innocence. He told The Sunday Times that his "life was desolated" by the wrongful conviction, and that he is determined to change the justice system, starting with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). "I haven't finished. I want to change a lot more," he said. "It's a good feeling that something so dreadful and tragic is leading to real change." His comments come as Dame Vera Baird KC is set to become the interim chairwoman of the CCRC. The barrister will take up the post from June 9 until December 8 next year, and is tasked with carrying out an urgent review into the running of the independent body and ensuring that lessons have been learned from previous cases. Mr Malkinson said he remained 'incandescent' at the CCRC, as well as the Government's compensation scheme, which makes it difficult for wrongly-convicted people to receive payouts. 'This is an assault on innocent people,' he said. 'It's an assault on the public, because any member of the public could end up where I was. Anybody could be the next victim, because there will be more.' Despite having his conviction quashed in 2023, he had to wait until February to get his first compensation payment. Mr Malkinson had been living on benefits and food banks from his release until then. Under the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, payments are only awarded to people who can prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. Ministry of Justice data showed that only 6.5% of people who had applied for compensation due to a miscarriage of justice between April 2016 and March 2024 were awarded payouts. Of 591 people who applied, 39 were granted compensation. Figures showed that 35 have since received money, with average amounts totalling £68,000. In a statement in February, lawyer Toby Wilton welcomed the payment, but said the £1 million cap on compensation payouts should be lifted. This is currently the maximum amount that can be paid to victims of miscarriages of justice who are wrongly jailed for at least 10 years. 'The Government should lift the current cap on compensation, and end the twisted quirk that whilst awards under other compensation schemes are excluded from assessment for benefits,' he said.
