THE Stormont Executive Office is to formally make payments to successful applicants under The Troubles Permanent Disablement Scheme.

On Monday, April 12, it was announced the Department of Finance will make the required funding available after the Executive Office wrote to The High Court saying it would undertake the payments.

DUP leader and First Minister, Arlene Foster, said “the final hurdle has been crossed” and a payment scheme for innocent victims who were severely and permanently injured during The Troubles will now be put in place.

“This is a very welcome day for all those victims and survivors across Northern Ireland who will benefit from this pension for severely injured victims,” said Mrs. Foster.

“It has been a deeply frustrating journey towards this point, but I welcome that we have finally achieved agreement to confirm that the pension will be paid when it falls due to recipients.

“We have achieved a clear commitment from the Department of Finance to ensure the funds will be paid when it is needed. This commitment took too long – the delay caused distress and uncertainty.

“I welcome that today’s certainty has been given. The uncertainty for victims is now over.

“We will ensure that they receive the payment which they are rightly entitled to, and we will continue to press the Government to also make a contribution.”

Victims group, South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), also welcomed the news and said the news will be “met positively by many victims and survivors impacted by permanent disablement brought about through their exposure to terrorism and other Troubles-related events”.

SEFF Director of Services, Kenny Donaldson, said: “It is important that the scheme opens as soon as there is a robust process in place for managing applications submitted.

“We reiterate our position, which is long-held, that terrorists or other perpetrators of criminal-based actions must not be recipients of this scheme. If that were to happen, it would compromise the scheme’s integrity.”

Mr. Donaldson added that SEFF would continue to assert the need for an appropriate reparations scheme to be developed that would acknowledge the bereaved of The Troubles, and he also called on the Republic of Ireland’s government to introduce a “comparable provision” for Irish citizens living in its jurisdiction who were impacted by Troubles-related events in the Republic.

However, one victim of The Troubles – Grant Weir – is unlikely to receive any payment, even though he was left physically and mentally disabled when he was severely injured in Rosslea in 1979 by the IRA while on an Ulster Defence Regiment patrol.

His sister and carer, Michelle Nixon, welcomed the news that a decision was made on who will actually pay for the scheme, but feels it is unfair that her brother will likely miss out on it.

“Unfortunately, he is not entitled to [the scheme] because anyone who gets an army or police pension won’t get anything,” explained Michelle.

“It was in their plans that those who were getting pensions wouldn’t get anything, which I think is ridiculous.

“He’s not the only one – there’s quite a lot [of people similarly excluded from this scheme].

“We will apply for it, but I can’t see anything coming out of it, to be honest,” she added.