Job cuts in Troubles enquiries team

The British government was tonight challenged to prove its commitment to dealing with the legacy of the Troubles after major job losses were announced in a police team investigating the past.

The Historical Enquiries Team (HET) is to make 75 of its 190 staff redundant, only weeks after government funding was promised to have secured the future of the special police unit.

The HET is re-examining unsolved murders from the Troubles, work which victims’ groups said has benefited many bereaved families.

The Commission for Victims and Survivors said it believed the £1.4m (€1.6m) deficit in the HET budget appeared to have been plugged and said victims would be shocked to hear the latest news.

“Some families have been waiting decades for an initiative like HET,” said Commissioner Mike Nesbitt.

“This is a process which can do a lot of good for families, but it can also do harm, and one way it will cause damage is if it fails to deliver on its promises.

“We hear weekly from people who have become deeply frustrated at the length of time HET takes to complete its investigations. This news will only make it worse.”

HET director Dave Cox reassured families that, despite the requirement to scale back operations, the work of the team would continue.

“There is a commitment from all parties that the HET will continue to deliver this crucial work for families. In the current economic environment, difficult decisions have to be made and the HET, as with other agencies, is facing financial pressures for the coming year,” he said.