THE British government has again been urged to scrap its controversial legacy legislation after amendments it tabled in an effort to allay critics' concerns were dismissed as "tinkering".
The amendments submitted to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill on Tuesday include a proposal to enable a new truth recovery body to conduct criminal investigations "where it judges that to be appropriate".
The bill, which is opposed by all Stormont's parties and regarded by victims' groups as a de facto amnesty, moves to the committee stage in the House of Lords next week.
The British government aims to have it on the statute books by summer.
Last month, in one of his final interviews as foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney told The Irish News that the Republic's government could not support the bill, while Labour leader Keir Starmer last week pledged to repeal the legislation if he leads the next Westminster government.
Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris said the latest amendments "reflect the extensive engagement that has taken place" and demonstrated the British government's "commitment to working with all interested parties regarding their concerns, and how these might be addressed".
"The government remains absolutely committed to delivering better outcomes for those most impacted by the Troubles," he said.
Other proposed changes to the bill include ensuring that individuals who knowingly or recklessly provide false information to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) can be prosecuted and have their immunity revoked.
It also aims to disapply the post-Good Friday Agreement early release scheme in instances where "individuals who choose not to tell the commission what they know and are then convicted of an offence".
There will also be an increase in fines for non-compliance with the ICRIR and "strengthen the commission's independence" by ensuring there is a consultation led by the secretary of state before appointing a chief commissioner.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood again stressed the widespread opposition to the bill.
"The unbridled arrogance to plough ahead in the face of universal disagreement is astounding," he said.
"Tinkering around the edges won't cut it – this bill is an affront to the British state’s international human rights obligations and it needs to be dumped."
Amnesty International UK regional deputy director Gráinne Teggart said the amendments did nothing to address the bill's "fundamental flaws".
"We and others are not fooled by the government’s claim that the bill will deliver for victims - it is clearly designed to prioritise perpetrators of serious crimes at the expense of victims’ rights," she said.
"It is not too late for the government to abandon this bill."
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace defended the legislation.
Speaking during a visit to Belfast, he told the BBC it was important to end "what became a merry-go-round of legacy inquests, and constant reopening and re-trials that don't actually seem to serve the peace process well".
