Reserve Judgment

Surprisingly there was middle ground to be found in today's debate over pension payments for members of the part-time RUC reserve. And it was the SDLP's Alex Attwood, a former member of the Policing Board, and his party colleague Dolores Kelly, who found it by supporting the motion. Just how middle that middle ground was, or even if it was the right place to be is of course a matter of opinion.

The West Belfast MLA said he supported firstly because he believed that P-T employees deserve equal employment conditions as F-T employees regardless of where they work, but also, and much more contentiously, he said that the reserve suffered disproportionately amongst the security forces during the conflict:

"Over the years of conflict," said Mr Attwood, "the part-time reserve suffered disproportionately to any other section of the old RUC, that when you look at the unfortunate and tragic statistics of the last 40 years, the number of part-time reserve officers who were injured and killed is far in excess of any other section of the security forces. [53 reservists were killed and a further 9 killed after they had retired.]

"The reason for that is simple. They were locally recruited, lived locally, were targeted locally and were killed locally. I think there is something particular about the part-time reserve, that this chamber should acknowledge by supporting the broad thrust of this proposal."

He proceeded to adopt the few bad apples stance saying that none of the above takes away from the fact that the "SDLP has grave reservations" about the "conduct of individuals and elements in the old RUC", and which remain "highly questionable." He then said that the new victims group headed by Denis Bradley and Arch-Bishop Eames should examine the activities of such individuals.

John O'Dowd of Sinn Féin said that on a practical level it would be impossible to assess pension rights since the British governemnt didn't keep the time-sheets. He said that the minimum that the reservist had to serve was two hours per month, and continued that he would be “mighty peeved” if he had been a reservist who had worked 90 hours a week and another who had only served much less got the same pension.

He was also outraged that unionists had argued that the part-time reservists protected all of the community "without fear or favour".
"I don’t know how anyone has the brass neck to come into this debating chamber after yesterday’s announcement [by the PPS] and tell us as a whole that the RUC as a whole was protecting us entirely," he seethed.
"I wonder if the families sitting in the Ormeau Road who lost loved ones in the [Sean Graham] bookmakers, and I wonder if Pat Finucane’s family is watching this? And I wonder if Brian Adam Lambert, the young protestant man who shot to death in Lisburn, if his family are watching this?"
John O'Dowd concluded by quoting an extract from the Stevens Report which concluded there was collusion in the Finucane and Lambert murders and asked, if part-time reservist were involved in these collusions should they receive a pension as well?

UUP's Danny Kennedy said that not only did John O'Dowd misjudge the issue, but he misjudged the tone of the House and had brought forward "his prejudiced views," and concluded, "John O'Dowd should be ashamed of his contribution here."

Not intending a pun Ian Paisley Jnr said that pensions for reservists was a 'reserved matter' and "with all the will in the world" it would remain a reserved matter. However he said that the OFMDFM would make representations to the Secretary of State on the issue.