Controversial letters sent to IRA fugitives granting them an amnesty from prosecution may have been illegal, a damning Parliamentary report has found. A Commons select committee said the so-called ‘comfort letters’, which assured 187 Republican terror suspects they were no longer being hunted by the police, should never have been written. In a highly-critical report, it said the ‘one-sided secretive scheme’ – which victims said effectively handed paramilitary fighters 'get out of jail free' cards – had damaged the integrity of the UK criminal justice system. Scroll down for video . A Commons select committee has said the ‘comfort letters’ scheme which was set up by Tony Blair's (pictured) Labour government in 2000, should never have been written and may have been illegal . MPs investigating the scandal said the scheme, set up by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000, had caused further hurt for the families of those killed during the Troubles. At least 95 recipients were linked to almost 300 murders. But the letters – sent to the so-called ‘on the runs’ after pressure from Sinn Fein – only came to light during the trial of John Downey, the man accused of the Hyde Park bombing in 1982. The trial collapsed in February last year when it emerged the 63-year-old had been told he would not face prosecution for the blast that killed four soldiers and seven horses in London. A review by Lady Justice Hallett concluded in July that the letter scheme, established as part of the peace process, was not unlawful but that there were 'significant failures' in how it operated. Britain's then Prime Minister Tony Blair (L) meets Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams (R), and chief negotiator Martin McGuinness in 2005 - the letters were sent to so-called ‘on the runs’ after pressure from Sinn Fein . But today the Commons’ Northern Ireland Affairs Committee published a blistering report raising serious questions about the legality of the highly-divisive scheme. The report said: ‘It is questionable whether the 'on-the-runs' (OTR) scheme was lawful or not, but we believe its existence distorted the legal process. ‘We accept that there was a difficult peace process going on at the time, but believe that there still has to be transparency and accountability in government and in the legal process.’ It found that ‘damage has undoubtedly been done to public confidence in the criminal justice system’. The committee, which took evidence from 55 witnesses, including ex-prime minister Mr Blair, also blasted the decision not to appeal the Downey ruling . This had placed ‘preserving the integrity of the criminal justice system over the public interest involved in continuing the trial of someone accused of carrying out multiple murders,’ it said. IRA terror suspect John Downey (pictured) was wrongly sent an immunity letter causing his trial for for the 1982 Hyde Park bombing to collapse . The report also said the people of Northern Ireland had been ‘kept in the dark to the greatest possible extent’ by the Government. The report said that during the peace process, Sinn Fein had pushed for ‘comfort letters’ to be issued and had received promises from Mr Blair. But while working hard to ensure those pledges were kept, Mr Blair did so without telling other Northern Ireland party leaders about the exact nature of the scheme, the report said. Committee chairman Laurence Robertson said the victims of the Troubles and their families had been ‘let down’. He said: ‘Our priority is to serve the victims and their relatives, whom we believe to have been let down by HM Government by the way in which this scheme has operated. ‘If any scheme had been put in place at all, which is questionable, it should have been properly introduced and correctly administered. It also should have been open and transparent. This scheme was none of those things. ‘Regardless of the intentions, this scheme has caused further hurt to people who have suffered far too much already, and has led to further suspicions being raised.’ The report branded ‘wholly unacceptable’ the Government's failure to identify those IRA members who had been charged or convicted who obtained Royal Prerogatives of Mercy during the peace process. Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has reiterated that the Government was no longer standing by the ‘on the run’ letters and that those who had received them could no longer rely on them as a defence. It comes after six IRA terror suspects thought to be behind some of the worst atrocities committed on mainland Britain are facing major new police investigations despite receiving letters granting them immunity. A Northern Ireland Office spokesman said: ‘The letters were only ever a statement of the facts as they were understood at the time, as to whether or not an individual was wanted for questioning by the police. ‘They were not intended to preclude investigation or prosecution based on new evidence emerging, or on the basis of a fresh assessment of the existing evidence. The Government is today repeating its statement that recipients of the letters should cease to place any reliance on them.’
Letters sent to IRA fugitives granting them amnesty may have been illegal . Parliamentary report has looked at controversial so-called 'comfort letters'
The scheme was set up by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000 . They told 187 Republican terror suspects they were no longer being hunted . At least 95 of those recipients were linked to 300 murders during Troubles . MPs have now decided the letters should never have been written . Report said scheme has damaged integrity of UK criminal justice system .