N Ireland's Martin McGuinness: 'I Will Deal With' Questions On Past

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has told Sky News he's ready to answer any questions about his past if new truth and justice structures are established in Northern Ireland.

But the former IRA commander, now serving as Deputy First Minister, insists the British government must open its files on The Troubles too.

Plans for a new historical investigations team and a truth recovery process stalled amid claims the release of some documents could compromise Britain's national security.

:: Northern Ireland: The Truth Or A Version Of The Truth?

When asked if he was ready to tell the truth himself, Mr McGuinness replied: "The mechanisms and structures that we have agreed be established make provision for families who have grievance and who are requiring a resolution to their grievance to go forward to these tribunals.

"If, in any circumstance, any of that has a connection with myself, in relation to people levelling allegations or whatever, then I will deal with that.

"That's not a difficulty for me whatsoever."

The structures agreed by Northern Ireland's politicians could be the last chance for some victims to obtain the truth or justice.

But, without a solution to the concern about national security, there are fears the process could lose momentum this autumn without the plans ever being implemented.

Mary Travers, 23, was shot dead and her father, a resident magistrate, wounded by the IRA in 1984. Her sister Ann has not lost hope that someone will be prosecuted.

She said: "She was shot dead in cold blood in the middle of a street, she was completely innocent, she was 23 years of age, walking home from mass.

"You would not, in a normal society, stop looking for a murderer and that is what's happened with her."

But Sam Irvine, whose mother Kitty was one of 15 people killed in the loyalist bombing of McGurk's Bar in Belfast in 1971, would settle for the truth now.

He said: "We need the truth above all. I think the truth would be justice in itself. With the truth, there will be naming and shaming anyway and people will know who the perpetrators were and if it did come from the higher echelons of government, people will know who they are."

In his first interview since taking charge of legacy issues, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said information would never be withheld without valid reason.

He said: "It's really important that the police service in particular doesn't hide away from embarrassing facts, from uncomfortable truths, and my Chief Constable is very clear about that and nor are we going to.

"Equally, it's really important, though, that we don't hand out information that would put lives at risk."

Northern Ireland Secretary, James Brokenshire MP, said the government was committed to full disclosure.

He added: "We've already been providing a great deal of information to existing investigations and inquiries and we are committed to providing to the Historical Investigations Unit, the body that would be set up to look at these issues.

"I think it is important to understand the commitment that is there to see that that disclosure be made but we need to get these new bodies established."