BOMB FAMILIES ANGRY AT BLOCKAGE OF SECRET PAPERS
Bomb families angry at blockage of secret papers
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY r.donnelly@ulsterherald.com
A MAN who lost his daughter in the Omagh bomb has accused the British Prime Minister of lying to the families when they visited Downing Street a few months ago.
Godfrey Wilson was responding to the release of a report this week by a committee which heavily criticised Gordon Brown and senior cabinet ministers for blocking access to crucial documents.
The NI Affairs Committee, made up of MPs, was trying to scrutinise a key Omagh bomb report when it was denied full access.
The committee expressed disquiet after its chairman was refused the full findings of Sir Peter Gibson's report which had been compiled on intelligence which had been shared between security forces prior to the Omagh bomb.
The inquiry concluded the bombing could not have been prevented and information was not withheld from police.
The Prime Minister has three times turned down the committee's requests for access.
Secretary of State Shaun Woodward and Cabinet Office Minister Tessa Jowell have also refused to let the Committee's chairman, Sir Patrick Cormack, see the review.
Sir Patrick said, "We cannot properly conduct our work in relation to Omagh unless we are fully informed of the facts surrounding the bombing.
"It really is an insult to the select committee that its chairman should not be allowed to see this report."
The committee published a special report, 'The Omagh Bombing: Access to Intelligence', to highlight its displeasure at the matter.
The original inquiry into how intelligence was handled was chaired by Sir Peter with a remit to investigate how intercept intelligence was shared in the Omagh bomb investigation.
It was set up after a BBC Panorama programme claimed security officials were listening to the Omagh bombers.
The government has published a shortened version of Sir Peter's dossier.
Sir Patrick added, "We do not doubt that Sir Peter's summary is an accurate reflection of his full report. We wish, none the less, to satisfy ourselves that that is so, and he has himself said that he would be content for us to do so.
"The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has offered the Prime Minister every safeguard by waiving the right of all its 13 members to read the report and asking that I should be able to read it on their behalf, under supervision and without taking notes, and with my word that its contents will remain entirely confidential."
Speaking on the matter, Godfrey Wilson echoed the MPs' criticism and added that the families are left very disillusioned when they are treated in this way.
Mr Wilson also said Gordon Brown refused to answer certain questions put to him by the Omagh families when they met at Downing Street. He claimed that Mr Brown was being "devious" when he said the questions would be addressed in Sir Peter Gibson's contentious report.
"How can you grieve for a loved one when you are constantly coming up against hurdles as major as these?" Mr Wilson asked.
"This makes victims of terrorism lose faith in democracy when politicians at the top act in such a devious way."
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY r.donnelly@ulsterherald.com
A MAN who lost his daughter in the Omagh bomb has accused the British Prime Minister of lying to the families when they visited Downing Street a few months ago.
Godfrey Wilson was responding to the release of a report this week by a committee which heavily criticised Gordon Brown and senior cabinet ministers for blocking access to crucial documents.
The NI Affairs Committee, made up of MPs, was trying to scrutinise a key Omagh bomb report when it was denied full access.
The committee expressed disquiet after its chairman was refused the full findings of Sir Peter Gibson's report which had been compiled on intelligence which had been shared between security forces prior to the Omagh bomb.
The inquiry concluded the bombing could not have been prevented and information was not withheld from police.
The Prime Minister has three times turned down the committee's requests for access.
Secretary of State Shaun Woodward and Cabinet Office Minister Tessa Jowell have also refused to let the Committee's chairman, Sir Patrick Cormack, see the review.
Sir Patrick said, "We cannot properly conduct our work in relation to Omagh unless we are fully informed of the facts surrounding the bombing.
"It really is an insult to the select committee that its chairman should not be allowed to see this report."
The committee published a special report, 'The Omagh Bombing: Access to Intelligence', to highlight its displeasure at the matter.
The original inquiry into how intelligence was handled was chaired by Sir Peter with a remit to investigate how intercept intelligence was shared in the Omagh bomb investigation.
It was set up after a BBC Panorama programme claimed security officials were listening to the Omagh bombers.
The government has published a shortened version of Sir Peter's dossier.
Sir Patrick added, "We do not doubt that Sir Peter's summary is an accurate reflection of his full report. We wish, none the less, to satisfy ourselves that that is so, and he has himself said that he would be content for us to do so.
"The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has offered the Prime Minister every safeguard by waiving the right of all its 13 members to read the report and asking that I should be able to read it on their behalf, under supervision and without taking notes, and with my word that its contents will remain entirely confidential."
Speaking on the matter, Godfrey Wilson echoed the MPs' criticism and added that the families are left very disillusioned when they are treated in this way.
Mr Wilson also said Gordon Brown refused to answer certain questions put to him by the Omagh families when they met at Downing Street. He claimed that Mr Brown was being "devious" when he said the questions would be addressed in Sir Peter Gibson's contentious report.
"How can you grieve for a loved one when you are constantly coming up against hurdles as major as these?" Mr Wilson asked.
"This makes victims of terrorism lose faith in democracy when politicians at the top act in such a devious way."
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1982
Published Date: 16-Jul-09
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