Omagh Bombing Inquiry reaches agreement with Irish Government over co-operation

Agreement has been reached between the Omagh Bombing Inquiry and the Irish Government over cooperation.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was agreed by the Irish Cabinet in Dublin on Tuesday morning following months of back and forth between officials and inquiry staff.

It 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 MoU has been welcomed as a “significant step forward”, and potentially the first such agreement between a UK public inquiry and a foreign state.

However, DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said it “falls well short of what is required”, and has urged a full and independent inquiry to be set up in the Republic of Ireland.

The Omagh bomb, which killed 29 people including a woman who was pregnant with twins, is the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The bomb was prepared in the Republic of Ireland and transported from that state by the Real IRA members who then fled back across the border after planting the bomb in the heart of Omagh on a Saturday afternoon.

The MoU is to allow the inquiry chairman Lord Turnbull 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.”

Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said that “security sensitive” information will be redacted and that legislation may be needed for witnesses such as gardai to appear before the inquiry.

“What will happen is a request will come in for documentation, if we have it, we provide it,” he told RTE Radio.

“If there is any detail in that documentation, however, that is very security sensitive from the Irish State’s point of view, we will redact that.

“However, the inquiry will be able to come down and see the unredacted aspect of it and there will be engagement between the inquiry and the State in respect of it.

“The good news is the inquiry is satisfied with the memorandum of understanding.”

He added: “It’s my intention and the intention of government to ensure that witnesses from Ireland, be they gardai or former civil servants, or anyone with information, to provide evidence that can be used by the inquiry.

“That may require legislation, it’ll also require another memorandum and that’s something that I will be bringing forward to Government in due course.”

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.

However, Mr Robinson described the MoU as “a contortion of state control masquerading as co-operation”.

“It provides no statutory powers, no ability to compel witnesses and no guarantee of full disclosure,” he said.

“The Irish Government’s continued refusal to establish its own parallel inquiry undermines the search for truth and leaves a significant blind spot in the pursuit of justice.

“I stand with the families in calling for a full and independent inquiry in the Republic of Ireland. Anything less is an abdication of responsibility and a disservice to the memory of those who were murdered on that tragic day in 1998.

“The path to justice must not be shaped by political convenience or constrained by jurisdictional limits. It must be complete and worthy of the lives that were lost.”

Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said he had written to the Irish Justice Minister in March about the Omagh bombing, but had not received a reply.

“Not only has the Irish Justice Minister not replied to my letter but now we have a hollow Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that goes nowhere close to meeting the Irish Government’s responsibilities.

“It has nothing on witnesses, nothing allowing victims and their legal representatives to see unredacted material, and no legal duty to provide evidence. It’s a staggering jumble of words and platitudes that centre around if, but or maybe.”

TUV leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister said the MoU was an example of Ireland’s “historic record of covering up its harbouring of terrorists”.

“Instead of the parallel Dublin Inquiry that is needed, the Republic is fobbing the victims off with promises, but lacking enforceable obligations to ‘open its books’ on what is known.”

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.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn welcomed the agreement of the MoU.

He said: “This is a very positive step that will help enable the independent Inquiry to do its job and provide answers for families.

“The Omagh bombing was a heinous atrocity committed by the Real IRA at a time when communities in Northern Ireland were looking forward to peace and stability.

“It caused immense pain and suffering to the many families who lost loved ones and to those who were injured. They will always be in our thoughts.”