Omagh Bombing Inquiry reaches agreement with Irish Government over cooperation
By Rebecca Black, PA
Agreement has been reached between the Omagh Bombing Inquiry and the Irish Government over cooperation.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) comes ahead of the resumption of public hearings in the inquiry which is probing whether the Real IRA bomb attack in 1998 could have been prevented.
The attack, which killed 29 people including a woman who was pregnant with twins, is the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The MoU is to allow the inquiry chairman and members of his team to access to material held by the Irish administration, and has been described as a “significant step”.
It outlines the arrangements for the provision of information and materials from the Irish Government and its agencies to the inquiry, with a central point of contact to be established in the Department of Justice.
The MoU also outlines the process of disclosure materials to the inquiry’s core participants.
In a statement the inquiry said it will “continue to discuss further cooperation with the Government of Ireland, such as taking evidence from witnesses from the Republic of Ireland”.
Secretary to the Inquiry Sam Hartley said such agreements are not commonplace in inquiries.
“This formal agreement between the inquiry and the Government of Ireland marks a significant step forward in allowing the Inquiry access to material, information and assistance from the Government and agencies in Ireland,” he said.
“Agreements of this nature are not commonplace in inquiries. On behalf of the Inquiry, I express my gratitude to the Government of Ireland for its repeated commitment to assist the Inquiry.”
Ireland had been under pressure to establish its own public inquiry into the 1998 outrage.
Dublin has said it will fully co-operate with the UK inquiry into the bombing, which is operating out of Omagh, but stopped short of committing to a separate public inquiry.
All those who were killed were remembered during commemorative hearings at the inquiry earlier this year, and evidence was also heard from those injured and emergency workers who responded.
The next phase of public hearings, due to start from June, will hear from core participants, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and former chief constable Ronnie Flanagan.