Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“It is clear from my exchange with Social Development Minister Lord Morrow at Question Time today that the DUP is embarrassed by the outworkings of the “Fresh Start” Agreement when it comes to victims.
“When I challenged him on the fact that he, as DSD Minister, is set to bring forward regulations which gift extra benefit points to terrorists injured in planting their own bombs he attempted to pass the buck to Professor Evason as the one who drew up the plan.
“The fact is that the Executive, every DUP minister included, endorsed and committed to implementing the Evason proposals. Thus minister Morrow is in ownership of this obnoxious proposal.
“It is disingenuous in the extreme for Lord Morrow now to claim that he is tied by the Professor’s proposal. He is not. It is he, as Minister, who will bring forward the regulations and, as I urged him today, he could and should exclude terrorists from the favourable treatment intended. If he does not, then as I told him today he should be utterly ashamed of visiting this slight on innocent victims.
“It is perverse that the victim of a road traffic accident will be treated less favourably than a convicted terrorist under the new system. Someone injured in a road traffic accident may only get four benefit points and lose their benefits, but a self-injured terrorist will be gifted an extra four points to preserve his benefits.
“Lord Morrow berated me as believing I was the only MLA who had a conscience about this issue. I would appeal to him to listen to his and prevent terrorists from being treated favourably.”