A government apology may be one step closer with the potential revelation of the agent known as Stakeknife, according to Kevin Winters, the solicitor representing the victims of the Army's IRA spy.

This development follows a report by a Westminster committee, which urged the government to officially identify the high-ranking agent linked to 14 murders during the Troubles.

The individual in question is believed to be Freddie Scappaticci, a west Belfast native who passed away in 2023.

The final report of the investigation into his actions, which exceeded £40m in costs, was published last year but did not name Stakeknife due to lack of government permission.

Successive governments have maintained a policy of neither confirming nor denying the agent's identity, citing national security concerns.

In response to the committee's report, the government stated that the secretary of state will provide an update to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

Speaking to BBC News NI, solicitor Kevin Winters expressed that not disclosing Stakeknife's identity is "demeaning to the families" of the victims and treats them as "secondary victims".

Winters noted that the families had cooperated with the investigation, known as Operation Kenova, in good faith and had expected a fuller disclosure of information and justice.

However, he emphasized that the lack of disclosure on the agent's identity "falls short" of providing the necessary closure.

According to Winters, identifying Stakeknife would bring the necessary closure that has been elusive so far.

He also stated that naming the agent would be a significant step towards securing a long-overdue apology from the British government, as recommended in the Kenova report.

Winters' comments coincided with the release of a report by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, which called on the government to formally identify Stakeknife.

The cross-party committee argued that state agents who engaged in unacceptable conduct should not be shielded from the consequences of their actions.

Committee chair Tonia Antoniazzi stated that the failure to identify Stakeknife has had a profound and lasting impact on the victims and their families.

Antoniazzi added that naming Stakeknife would send a strong message that agents who overstep their boundaries will not be protected by anonymity.

The committee's report was released after hearing evidence from officers who led the investigation into Stakeknife's activities.

Antoniazzi noted that given the assurances that active agents will not be put in harm's way and future recruitment will not be compromised, formal identification of Stakeknife is "appropriate, proportionate, and in the public interest".

The government responded by acknowledging that the behavior described in the Operation Kenova report is "deeply disturbing" and should not have occurred.

The government also highlighted significant reforms to agent handling practices, including legislative changes, that have taken place in recent decades.

It stated that the use of agents is now subject to strict regulation, overseen by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

However, the government is not yet in a position to formally respond to the request to name Stakeknife, citing ongoing litigation and consideration of a recent Supreme Court judgment.

Claire Hanna, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, is among the MPs who sit on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and has argued that the blanket application of the "neither confirm nor deny" policy does not account for the complexities of the Troubles.

Hanna contended that not publicly naming the agent is "delaying justice" for the victims and incurring additional costs for the public.

Operation Kenova was initially led by Jon Boutcher, now chief constable of the PSNI, and later headed by Sir Iain Livingstone, both of whom have welcomed the committee's report.

In a statement, Boutcher expressed support for the call to name Stakeknife, stating it would bring "much-needed closure" to the victims and their families.

Freddie Scappaticci, the individual believed to be Stakeknife, was allegedly the highest-ranking British agent within the Provisional IRA.

Scappaticci was the grandson of an Italian immigrant who came to Northern Ireland in the 1940s in search of work.

He grew up in the Irish republican stronghold of west Belfast, where he worked as a bricklayer.

During the height of the Troubles in the early 1970s, Scappaticci was interned without trial, along with hundreds of others, during a period of civil unrest.

In the late 1970s, he was reportedly assaulted by the IRA following a dispute with a senior member of the paramilitary group.

It is believed that around this time, the Army recruited Scappaticci as a paid informant within the IRA.

By the 1980s, Scappaticci had risen to a leading position within the IRA's internal security unit, tasked with identifying and punishing informers.

The unit, known as the "nutting squad", was notorious for its brutal methods, including shooting alleged informers in the head.

In 2003, Scappaticci was publicly identified as Stakeknife, the feared spy who had set up other IRA informers for murder.

Although Scappaticci denied the allegations, he subsequently went into hiding in England, where he is believed to have lived under MI5 protection for nearly two decades.

In 2016, Jon Boutcher was appointed to lead a multi-million pound investigation into Stakeknife's activities and handling.

The Kenova report found that Stakeknife was likely responsible for more deaths than he prevented.

It also revealed that MI5 was aware of Stakeknife's involvement in serious crimes and received regular briefings about his activities.

Furthermore, the report found that Stakeknife's Army handlers had taken him on holiday outside of Northern Ireland on two occasions, despite knowing he was wanted by the police for conspiracy to murder.

The investigation's findings have significant implications for the government's handling of agents and the need for greater transparency and accountability.

Scappaticci passed away in 2023, at the age of 77, while the Operation Kenova investigation remained active.