It is an indictment of successive British administrations that, more than a quarter of a century after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, a credible plan has yet to emerge over the resolution of legacy issues.
While it will also be acknowledged that the 1998 breakthrough might not have been possible if it had attempted to include comprehensives proposals for dealing with the catastrophes of the past, the concerns of grieving relatives still demand to be addressed.
It will be generally accepted that the legislation officially known as the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act which the UK government passed in September last year was a disgrace at every level.
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In an almost unprecedented way, it was firmly opposed by all the main Stormont parties, the then Labour opposition in London, the Irish government and a range of groups representing victims.
The act halted scores of civil cases and inquests into some of the most notorious deaths of the Troubles, and was widely regarded as a blatant attempt by the discredited former British prime minister Boris Johnson to facilitate the demands of reactionary elements within Conservatism.
Read more: Benn: British government taking first steps to repeal and replace Troubles legacy Act
It was essential that it should be repealed when Labour returned to power earlier this year, and secretary of state Hilary Benn began the process in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening.
Mr Benn will be aware that the appalling errors perpetrated by his predecessors mean that enormous scrutiny will be devoted to his progress
Mr Benn said his intention was to remedy what he referred to as the human rights deficiencies in the previous legislation, which were firmly identified by consecutive high profile legal rulings by judges in Belfast earlier this year.
This is a vital task, and Mr Benn will be aware that the appalling errors perpetrated by his predecessors mean that enormous scrutiny will be devoted to his progress in the coming months.
Read more: Platform: ICRIR ‘best chance since 1998 to tackle legacy of Troubles’
The priority must always be to develop structures which have the confidence of victims and survivors, and crucially are also fully in line with both the letter and the spirit of the European Convention on Human Rights.
These key principles were definitively set out in the Stormont House Agreement, which was published with the endorsement of the British and Irish governments and a majority of the executive parties just under a decade ago but like so many other important measures is still awaiting proper implementation.
There will be a particular focus on the future of the contentious Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, which was set up under the previous deeply flawed legislation.
Other options are plainly available, and need to be considered as a matter of urgency during the forthcoming discussions involving the Dublin and London administrations.
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