DUP MP calls for a comprehensive review on support terrorism victims

By Elizabeth Arnold, Press Association Political Staff

The UK should aspire to be the global leader in the treatment of terrorism victims, a DUP MP has said.

Emma Little Pengelly called for a "comprehensive" review on the support given to all victims of terrorism across the UK.

Speaking in the Commons, the Belfast South MP said: "How we remember the wrongs of the past and support those who were hurt the most should be the very hallmark of what we are as a society."

Victims, she argued, must not be forgotten and it was "right and proper" that their needs were addressed and that this work should be led from the very top from Government.

She spoke of the long painful process of recovery from severe physical injuries for some victims and the mental health pressures for others of the trauma experienced and witnessed which might take many years to manifest.

She said: "For those most deeply impacted it is often the end of their world as they knew it.

"Their lives have been shattered, they continue to suffer the loss of a loved one, a huge human shaped gap in their lives."

Northern Ireland, she said, had been disproportionately impacted by terrorism, adding: "We have seen at first hand in Northern Ireland that the needs of victims often last a lifetime.

"I believe that the UK should aspire to be the global leader in how we treat our victims of terrorism and that is why in this Bill I am calling for a comprehensive review on the support we give to all our victims of terrorism across the UK."

She added: "I believe a comprehensive review leading to enhanced support and clear actions can make us a world leader in the care and support that we give."

Ms Little Pengelly said such a review needed to address the needs of the bereaved, importance of counselling and examine the mental health legacy of terrorism and violent trauma.

It also needed to examine the impact of dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist attack on emergency services and emergency personnel, plus look at the proposal of a special pension for the severely disabled.

She spoke about the victims bereaved and injured in relation to Libyan-supplied Semtex as she urged the Government to "look afresh and urgently" at the proposals seeking to support victims in need, adding: "Now is the time for action."

Her Victims of Terrorism (Pensions and Other Support) Bill would make provision about support for victims who have been severely injured or bereaved as a result of acts of terrorism by an unconnected person or organisation in the UK.

It would establish a review of pension support for such victims and require that the review make proposals for additional support taking account of the effects on occupational pension provision for such victims.

Ms Little Pengelly's Bill was listed for a second reading on October 26 but is unlikely to become law due to a lack of parliamentary time.