Member's statement: Irish Government: Victims of Terrorism
Member's statement by Mr Timothy Gaston on .
- MLA
- Mr Timothy Gaston
- Party at the time
- Traditional Unionist Voice
- Date
- 29 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Irish Government: Victims of Terrorism
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5644596
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I have repeatedly raised in the Chamber and in the Executive Office (TEO) Committee the failure of the Irish Government to play their part in delivering justice for victims of terrorism. To date, Dublin has sought to portray itself as some form of neutral third party whose role is merely to equality-proof proposals that have been brought forward by the UK Government. That position bears no resemblance to the reality of the Troubles.
It ignores the fact that the Irish Republic provided a safe haven from which IRA terrorists were able to operate. It ignores the fact that murderers could escape across the border and evade justice. It ignores the fact that, for decades, terrorists sought to justify their campaign of murder and mayhem by claiming that the Irish constitution gave them a right to wage war in Northern Ireland. It also ignores the fact that, before the widespread importation of Semtex, much of the IRA's explosive material originated in the Irish Republic.
As a result of evidence given by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to the Executive Office Committee two weeks ago, we know that requests for assistance sent to an Garda Síochána on Troubles-related investigations are simply being ignored. For Peter Sheridan to reveal that correspondence relating to murders in Northern Ireland with a cross-border element are receiving no responses from the Southern authorities is an astonishing indictment of the Irish Government's attitude towards victims. Dublin cannot continue to demand a seat at the table when dealing with the legacy of the Troubles and simultaneously refuse to assist investigations of terrorist crimes. Such an approach demonstrates a lack of commitment to truth, justice and, indeed, accountability for thousands of innocent people whose lives were devastated by terrorism. I also challenge the Executive Office. The Veterans Commissioner told us on the same day that correspondence about veterans' issues never receive a substantive reply from the First Minister and deputy First Minister other than an acknowledgement, in spite of TEO's being in charge of victims' issues. That situation does not exist when it comes to groups representing the interests of terrorists. My challenge to the DUP is this: what is the deputy First Minister doing to change that scandalous situation to ensure that veterans' correspondence is being responded to, and being responded to in a timely manner?
390 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.50 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.61).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.57).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The overall probability was moderate at most and none of the culture-war criteria was close to being met.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.23 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.10 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.31 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.14 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.61 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.50 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.57 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.12 |
| Adopts it | 0.31 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.98 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:58 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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