Statement On The Agreement Of Memorandum of Understanding On The Omagh Bombing Inquiry.
The Irish Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chairman of the Inquiry, Lord Alan Turnbull PC, (PC Scottish lawyer, Senator of the College of Justice, and a judge of the country’s Supreme Courts), on matters relating to the disclosure of materials to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry.
On June 12th 2023, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Right Honourable Mr Chris Heaton-Harris (British former senior politician), announced that Lord Turnbull would chair the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, due to Lord Turnbull’s previous experience of working on terrorism cases.
The Irish Government authorised the signature at its meeting earlier today.
The Omagh bombing was a car bombing on August 15th 1998, which took place in the town of Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was carried out by the Real IRA, latter a Provisional Irish Republican Army splinter group, who opposed the IRA’s ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement/Belfast Agreement, which had been signed earlier on Good Friday, 10th April of that year.
The victims of the bombing included people of many backgrounds and ages, both Protestants and Catholics, unionists and Irish nationalists were killed, including six teenagers, six children, a woman pregnant with twins, two Spanish tourists and others visiting on a day trip from the Republic of Ireland. As a result of the bombing, new anti-terrorism laws were swiftly enacted by both the United Kingdom and Ireland.
This agreement reflects the Government’s decision, in July 2024, to assist this Inquiry to the extent that is permissible under the Irish Constitution and laws of the Irish State. The Programme for Government reiterates that commitment, stating that they will play their full part in legacy processes, including facilitating and supporting this Omagh Inquiry.
This Memorandum sets out the working arrangements that will apply between the Inquiry and the office of the Minister for Justice on the lawful disclosure of materials from Government Departments and their agencies to the Inquiry, thus assisting it in carrying out its terms of reference. It also addresses the onward disclosure of those materials and their destruction or retention at the conclusion of the work of the Inquiry.
As recorded in the Memorandum a central point of contact has been established in the Department of Justice to receive and manage all requests for materials from this Inquiry. The Minister’s Department and the Inquiry will maintain regular contact to support the operation of the Memorandum.
The Minister’s Department will also continue to engage with the Inquiry to find solutions consistent with Irish law to fulfil the Government’s commitment to assisting the Inquiry. This includes the giving of oral testimony for the purposes of the Inquiry. The Government has made it clear, that should it be necessary to bring forward legislation to support this assistance to the Inquiry, then this will be undertaken.
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