Northern Ireland Troubles legacy group recommendations

The report on dealing with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles made 31 main recommendations under six headings: Legacy of the Past and Reconciliation: :: An independent Legacy Commission should be established, combining the tasks of securing reconciliation, justice and information recovery.

:: A Reconciliation Forum should help the Legacy Commission and the existing Commission for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland (CVSNI) tackle issues linked to the conflict.

:: The Legacy Commission should have a £100 million bursary to tackle the issues.

Victims and Survivors: :: The nearest relative of each person who died in the conflict should receive a £12,000 "recognition payment" as an acknowledgement of the suffering of people in Northern Ireland and Britain, after a similar scheme was introduced in the Irish Republic.

:: The CVSNI should address the needs of victims and their families, especially in the provision of services, funding, healthcare needs and compensation.

:: The Reconciliation Forum will help improve healthcare services linked to the conflict, such as trauma, suicide and addiction services.

The Legacy Commission: :: Would last five years.

:: It should be implemented by the British and Irish Governments and the Office of First and Deputy First Minister.

:: But it will be chaired by an international commissioner who would use the Reconciliation Forum to tackle issues such as sectarianism, promote reconciliation and administer the bursary. There would be two further commissioners.

:: The Legacy Commission would have four strands of work to help society towards a shared future, investigate historic murder cases, recover information on murder cases and examine themes emerging from the conflict.

Society Issues: :: Issues arising out of the conflict should be tackled, including sectarianism, remembering the past, ensuring economic development helps a wide range of areas and helping those exiled during the Troubles return to Northern Ireland.

:: The Reconciliation Forum should help address the society issues, prioritising activities and advising government.

:: The Legacy Commission should champion tackling such society issues.

:: The Legacy Commission should take the lead in ensuring sectarianism is being addressed, highlighting the contribution all sectors of society can make.

:: It should also engage with the Christian churches in Northern Ireland asking them to help create a non-sectarian future, particularly in education.

:: Action should be taken to implement advice on ending discrimination in relation to employment and access to services for former prisoners.

Processes of Justice and Information Recovery :: A special unit with police powers should work within the Legacy Commission to investigate murders from the Troubles.

:: The new Review and Investigation Unit would replace the police Historical Enquiries Team (HET) and the Police Ombudsman's unit dealing with historical cases, building on the work they have done so far.

:: Under a separate strand of the Legacy Commission, and overseen by a separate Commissioner, an Information Recovery unit would gather information on killings.

:: The Legacy Commission would examine themes of public concern from the conflict such as paramilitary activity and alleged collusion between security forces and paramilitaries.

:: There would be no new public inquiries. The promised inquiry into the loyalist murder of solicitor Pat Finucane and the evidence of security force collusion in the killing has yet to occur after the family objected to its terms, but the Group believes the case could be dealt with by the Legacy Commission.

:: Outstanding inquests would remain with the Coroners Service and criminal case reviews would remain with the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

:: The Group did not propose an amnesty for crimes linked to the conflict, but recommends that the Legacy Commission should make proposals on how a line might be drawn at the end of its five-year mandate.

Remembering: :: The Legacy Commission should work with the Reconciliation Forum and CVSNI to help victims and survivors tell their stories from the conflict.

:: CVSNI should be encouraged to develop ways of remembering the impact of the conflict with educational projects and events to remember as a society as a whole.

:: Future "storytelling" initiatives from the Troubles should be developed.

:: Government, the private sector, and churches should back an annual Day of Reflection and Reconciliation, as initiated by the Healing Through Remembering group.

:: Each year at the time of the day of reflection the First Minister and Deputy First Minister should address the Assembly reflecting on the past in a positive way and confirming their commitment to a shared and reconciled future.

:: At the end of the five-year Legacy Commission, the Reconciliation Forum should co-ordinate a ceremony remembering the past and all those who suffered.

:: Also at the end of the five years, the Group asks political parties and the remnants of paramilitary groups to sign a declaration that they will never again resort to political violence.

:: A shared memorial to the conflict should be considered by the Reconciliation Forum.