Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, told MPs on Wednesday that only one member of the British armed forces has been convicted of a Troubles-related offence in the past 28 years. He contrasted this with the imprisonment of between 25,000 and 35,000 paramilitaries during the conflict.

The disclosure came in response to a question from Labour MP Phil Brickell, whose father served in Northern Ireland during Operation Banner. Brickell had asked how many British army veterans had been convicted for offences committed during the Troubles.

Benn stated that the number of service personnel convicted was very small and confirmed the single conviction figure. He added that of the ten current live cases, eight relate to paramilitaries accused of killing or attempting to kill soldiers or police officers.