Northern Ireland Veterans' Commissioner David Johnstone has said it is too early to say whether the government's proposed changes to Troubles legacy legislation are satisfactory. He was speaking after the Northern Ireland Office published more than 150 amendments to the bill, which will be debated and voted on by MPs next week.

The amendments are part of Labour's attempt to replace the 2023 Legacy Act, which the previous Conservative government introduced. That act banned inquests and civil actions related to Troubles-era incidents and offered immunity from prosecution to suspects who cooperated with a new information recovery body. Courts later found the immunity clause unlawful.

Under the amended bill, the attorney general must give consent for any serious prosecutions connected to the conflict. Ministers say this will provide robust safeguards and ensure fairness for former soldiers and police officers who served during the Troubles.

Johnstone said veterans would likely view the attorney general's role positively because decisions on prosecutions would involve officials in Westminster rather than in Northern Ireland. However, he said the legislation still needed to be fair and balanced, and that he would consult legal experts and veterans before forming a final view.

Sinn Féin has criticised the changes, claiming they amount to a veterans' charter designed to keep soldiers out of court. The party says the attorney general's role inserts political interference into the justice process and undermines the equal application of the law.

Some victims' families have also expressed concern. Emmett McConomy, whose 11-year-old brother Stephen was shot dead by a soldier in Derry in 1982, called the amendments a backwards step. He said the attorney general would be checking the British government's own homework.

The bill also includes a provision to prevent former paramilitaries from being appointed to the Victims and Survivors' Advisory Group, while ensuring at least one veteran or veterans' representative sits on the panel. The Legacy Commission established under the bill would not be allowed to regard lawful conduct by soldiers as equivalent to acts of terrorism.

The government has launched a digital video series called "The Troubles: Living with the Legacy" to coincide with the bill's return to the Commons. The series features victims, survivors, and veterans, including actor Jimmy Nesbitt, discussing the need for truth and reconciliation.

MPs will vote on the bill next week before it moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.