A group set up to find the best way to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland's violent past has extended its deadline for submissions into the New Year.
The Independent Consultative Group on the Past chaired by former Church of Ireland Primate Lord Robin Eames and Denis Bradley, the former deputy chairman of the Policing Board, said today they were giving people an extra six weeks after being inundated with requests for meetings.
The new deadline - January 25th instead of December 7th - would give everyone the opportunity to meet with the group without having any impact on the timing of their report, they said.
Lord Eames said they were determined to listen to as many people as possible before they began work on their report to government.
"The response we have received so far shows the high level of interest there is in finding a way of dealing with the legacy of the past." They had received dozens of requests for meetings from a broad spectrum of groups and organisations as well as individuals, he said.
"It is clear that we would not be able to meet with everyone before the current deadline for submissions. Therefore the group has decided to extend the public engagement process, and the deadline for submissions, until the end of January."
The group also announced it will be holding a number of public meetings in the New Year as part of the ongoing process - details of when and where will be announced later.
Mr Bradley said: "Extending the public engagement will allow us to go out across Northern Ireland where we will hold a series of public meetings. We want to make sure that everyone who wants to be heard can be heard."
Mr Bradley said they had said from the outset they were starting with a blank canvas, had no preconceived views on how to deal with the past and any recommendations they made would be based on the evidence gathered.
"It is also important to stress that extending the public engagement will have no impact on the timing of our final report," he added. "This is about giving ordinary people the opportunity to tell us what they think should be done to deal with our past so we can all look forward to a shared future."
PA