FAMILIES HAND JUSTICE MINISTER PRIVATE REPORT AT SERVICE
Families hand Justice Minister private report at service
'Truth, justice and remembering' - that is how Michael Gallagher summed up his own raison d'etre at Sunday's memorial service, which marked the 14th anniversary of the Omagh bombing.
Exactly 14 years ago to the date today (Wednesday) a Real IRA car bomb exploded in Market Street, Omagh, killing 29 people and two unborn twins. To this day no one has been found criminally liable for the atrocity.
The families' hopes now rest on a public inquiry into the 'peace time' attack and it was only too apt that tangible progress, in the search for truth and justice, was made at Sunday's remembrance service.
Mr Gallagher took the opportunity to hand deliver the Omagh Support and Self Help Group's privately commissioned report to Justice Minister David Ford, who was in attendance at the service.
It is hoped that the report, compiled by a team of legal professionals in London, will pave the way for a cross-border public inquiry into the bombing.
That decision rests with Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, who received the report and a briefing by the families in June.
Mr Paterson recently said that he wished for Mr Ford and Chief Constable Matt Baggot to access the report prior to any ultimate decision being made.
Mr Ford made clear that the role of his department will be limited in relation to the final decision, but vowed to help the Omagh families in any way he could.
"I thought that this was a suitable occasion to take the report from Michael and I am no stranger to Omagh. I used to visit Omagh in my younger days and that could have very easily been me on Market Street on my summer holidays 30 or 40 years ago. Omagh has had its fair share of tragedies and It wasn't too long ago that I was here at a service in memory of Ronan Kerr.
"In relation to the inquiry there are significant limitations as to what my department (Department of Justice) can do as opposed to the police and the Northern Ireland Office. However, Michael and the families were anxious that I have the report and I will now arrange to meet with its authors in September to take part in a further briefing.
"It is an extremely difficult time for the families and it has been given that no criminal investigation has succeeded and although they took their own action it is never the same thing.
"Of course the fact that investigations continue to take place there is always the hope that new evidence, strong enough to launch a criminal prosecution, will arise in the future.
"Now I will study the support and it will allow me to react to Mr Paterson. The ball is very much in his court and as we meet to discuss matters regularly I am now, at least, armed with this," said Mr Ford.
Mr Gallagher described the handover as a step forward in that it will allow Mr Ford to be conversant with the report.
"It was always going to be a matter of time until Mr Ford received the report and now that he has it, as like Mr Shatter (Irish Justice Minister, Alan Shatter), it will allow them to discuss the matter. We will still arrange a briefing with Mr Ford in the near future, but it was suitable to deliver it to him at the service," said Mr Gallagher.
'Truth, justice and remembering' - that is how Michael Gallagher summed up his own raison d'etre at Sunday's memorial service, which marked the 14th anniversary of the Omagh bombing.
Exactly 14 years ago to the date today (Wednesday) a Real IRA car bomb exploded in Market Street, Omagh, killing 29 people and two unborn twins. To this day no one has been found criminally liable for the atrocity.
The families' hopes now rest on a public inquiry into the 'peace time' attack and it was only too apt that tangible progress, in the search for truth and justice, was made at Sunday's remembrance service.
Mr Gallagher took the opportunity to hand deliver the Omagh Support and Self Help Group's privately commissioned report to Justice Minister David Ford, who was in attendance at the service.
It is hoped that the report, compiled by a team of legal professionals in London, will pave the way for a cross-border public inquiry into the bombing.
That decision rests with Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, who received the report and a briefing by the families in June.
Mr Paterson recently said that he wished for Mr Ford and Chief Constable Matt Baggot to access the report prior to any ultimate decision being made.
Mr Ford made clear that the role of his department will be limited in relation to the final decision, but vowed to help the Omagh families in any way he could.
"I thought that this was a suitable occasion to take the report from Michael and I am no stranger to Omagh. I used to visit Omagh in my younger days and that could have very easily been me on Market Street on my summer holidays 30 or 40 years ago. Omagh has had its fair share of tragedies and It wasn't too long ago that I was here at a service in memory of Ronan Kerr.
"In relation to the inquiry there are significant limitations as to what my department (Department of Justice) can do as opposed to the police and the Northern Ireland Office. However, Michael and the families were anxious that I have the report and I will now arrange to meet with its authors in September to take part in a further briefing.
"It is an extremely difficult time for the families and it has been given that no criminal investigation has succeeded and although they took their own action it is never the same thing.
"Of course the fact that investigations continue to take place there is always the hope that new evidence, strong enough to launch a criminal prosecution, will arise in the future.
"Now I will study the support and it will allow me to react to Mr Paterson. The ball is very much in his court and as we meet to discuss matters regularly I am now, at least, armed with this," said Mr Ford.
Mr Gallagher described the handover as a step forward in that it will allow Mr Ford to be conversant with the report.
"It was always going to be a matter of time until Mr Ford received the report and now that he has it, as like Mr Shatter (Irish Justice Minister, Alan Shatter), it will allow them to discuss the matter. We will still arrange a briefing with Mr Ford in the near future, but it was suitable to deliver it to him at the service," said Mr Gallagher.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/2026
Published Date: 16-Aug-12
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