The Ulster Unionist and Democratic Unionist parties have bitterly condemned legislation proposed by the British government which will guarantee that prosecutions will not be pursued on the basis of new information received on the location of "the disappeared" in Northern Ireland.
During the second reading debate on the Northern Ireland (Location of Victims' Remains - LVR) Bill in the House of Commons last night, the UUP and the Conservatives forced a last-minute vote, but the government won by 289 votes to 10.
Earlier the Northern Ireland security minister, Mr Adam Ingram, said the legislation did not grant a general amnesty but "limited immunity" from prosecution. Rejecting suggestions by the UUP's Mr Ken Maginnis that the government was pandering to terrorists, Mr Ingram said it was not within the government's gift to deliver the location of victims' bodies - it could only be done by those who knew coming forward. Mr Maginnis said the Bill was "tantamount to an amnesty" for those who had committed murder, while the DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, accused the government of "appeasement".