MPs refused access to Omagh bombing findings

Tuesday, 14 July 2009 12:01 AM

By Liz Stephens

The government has been criticised today for refusing to grant access to a key report into the Omagh bombing for MPs in charge of scrutinising policy in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland affairs committee (NIAC) has sought access to the Gibson review of intelligence intercepts for almost six months as part of its inquiry into Omagh.

Gordon Brown has denied requests for access to anything other than the summary of the review and senior cabinet officials have also refused to let committee chair Sir Patrick Cormack see it, the committee claimed.

NIAC has today published a special report, 'The Omagh Bombing: Access to Intelligence', which called on the government to allow them access.

Sir Patrick said: "The Omagh bombing was the single worst atrocity in Northern Ireland. Sir Peter's review is one of the most important documents relating to that atrocity. Parliament has been refused access to that document.

"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.

"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 intelligence and security committee was allowed to see the review but it is not a Commons committee.

The government is allowed to provide information not for public consumption on a confidential basis to parliament according to its own guidelines.

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• constitution
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• domestic policy
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• legal and constitutional
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• northern ireland
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