The UK Government is taking the "first steps" to repeal and replace controversial legislation designed to address the legacy of the Troubles, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has said.
Making a Commons statement, Mr Benn said "too many families" have had to "wait too long to find out what happened to their loved ones" as he announced measures being taken to progress cases.
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, introduced by the previous Conservative government, halted scores of civil cases and inquests into Troubles deaths.
Mr Benn described the previous administration's approach to legacy matters as "wrong" and said aspects of the legislation were found by the courts to be incompatible with obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
He said the Government is committed to repealing and replacing the legislation, adding in the Commons: "I am today laying a remedial order under the Human Rights Act to take the first steps to honour that commitment.
"This order will remedy all of the human rights deficiencies in the Act identified by the Northern Ireland High Court in February in the case of Dillon and others and one issue from the Court of Appeal judgment in September.
"Specifically, the order will - if adopted by Parliament - remove all provisions from the Act relating to the immunity scheme which, let it not be forgotten, would have enabled any of those who perpetrated the most appalling terrorist crimes to seek immunity from prosecution from the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR)."
Mr Benn said the order will also enable all civil proceedings that were prohibited by the legacy Act, including future cases, to proceed.
He explained: "This means individuals will once again be able to bring Troubles-related cases to the civil courts, a basic right denied them by the legacy Act."
Mr Benn said he will introduce primary legislation when parliamentary time allows to implement the Government's promise to restore inquests, starting with those previously halted by the Act.
Conservative shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart told MPs Labour has a "mandate" to change legacy legislation, but urged ministers to "spare a thought" for veterans who may feel a sense of "dread".
Mr Burghart told the Commons: "The Labour Party won a general election on a manifesto which included a number of measures which the Secretary of State has just discussed and it has a mandate to make the changes it wants to make.
"But I will say this, there was an attempt by the last government, a desire by the last government to draw a line under many difficult things that have happened and with the actions that the Government is now taking, that line is being erased.
"I'll remind the House of the central reasons that the last government legislated for - it did so to try and protect some elderly people including servicemen who were being brought before inquests to discuss events that may or may not have happened very many years before."
The shadow Northern Ireland secretary added: "Tonight, there will be many such men harbouring a sense of dread, and I know the Government is taking a different approach, but I do ask them to spare a thought for those men this evening and to think very deeply about what it can do to support them."
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said in his reply: "I do acknowledge the point which he has raised about veterans, and we hold them very close to our hearts. And I know that the Defence Secretary (John Healey) who is in the chamber this evening does exactly the same."
