Government has ‘plain duty' to assist Omagh inquiry with swift disclosure
Lord Turnbull said his experience to date over the cooperation of some state agencies with the inquiry had caused him to have 'some concerns'.
The inquiry chair was speaking at the end of two days of hearings in which the legal representatives of core participants delivered opening statements.
The Real IRA bomb in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, in the worst single atrocity in the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The public inquiry was set up by the previous secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris to examine whether the explosion could have been prevented by the UK authorities.
Lord Turnbull said he understood the challenges of providing disclosure of relevant documents to the inquiry were 'significant'.
But he added: 'The fact remains that two years have already passed since the secretary of state announced that there was to be an enquiry.
'At many times since that point the progress towards setting up the inquiry and then of trying to move towards evidential hearings, has appeared to be frustratingly slow.
'Difficulties over providing disclosure of course impact on the ability to schedule evidential hearings.'
The inquiry chair said some of those watching may have observed that if successive governments had 'not so staunchly set their face against a public inquiry the problems now being grappled with would not be so acute'.
He added: 'Having opposed the setting up of an inquiry so long, there is a plain duty on the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) and others in government to remedy that now by making available whatever resources are necessary to ensure that full disclosure can be swiftly made available.
'I say that not just because of the passage of time.
'My experience to date has caused me to have some concerns.
'I have not been convinced that some of those with whom the inquiry has to depend upon to provide it with the material it seeks have always been in a position properly to engage with the inquiry or to dedicate the necessary resources to those tasks.
'I therefore trust after all that has been said over today and yesterday, that my remarks and concerns will be passed on to the relevant ministers and others who manage the responses to the inquiry's requests.'
Lord Turnbull also said that the inquiry would not 'simply accept statements' that documents had been lost or destroyed.
He said: 'Where claims are made that documents of importance have been destroyed or cannot be located, material providers can expect such assertions to be subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny.
'Accordingly the inquiry will expect to hear detailed evidence as to the nature of the efforts made to locate any such documents and the processes around their storage and retention.
'And having done so, the inquiry will draw such inferences as seem appropriate in light of the nature and importance of the documents concerned, alongside the quality of any evidence given by way of explanation for their absence.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Putin-Zelenskiy Possible Meet, UK Yield Tops Truss High, Desert Ski Resort Woes
Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) US President Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin and urged the Russian leader to begin making plans for a summit with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, after meeting the Ukrainian president and European leaders at the White House on Monday. (2) The Trump administration is in discussions to take a stake of about 10% in Intel Corp., according to a White House official and other people familiar with the matter, a move that could see the US become the beleaguered chipmaker's largest shareholder. (3) The yield on long-dated inflation-linked bonds surpassed the highs seen during the gilt-market meltdown three years ago, the latest unwanted market milestone for the UK government. (4) The Treasury is examining the possibility of replacing stamp duty and introducing a new tax on the sale of UK homes worth more than £500,000 ($676,000), according to the Guardian. (5) Apple will no longer be forced to provide a so-called backdoor to American users' data to the UK government, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a post on X on Monday. (6) In 2022, Saudi Arabia announced one of its most ambitious endeavours to date: a sprawling ski resort in the heart of the dry Middle Eastern desert. It's becoming one of the most difficult tests yet of the kingdom's ability to pull off Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's grand ambitions
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Treasury ‘looking at' new property taxes to replace stamp duty
The Treasury is considering plans to raise money from a tax on the sale of homes worth more than £500,000, according to reports. Government officials are looking at a potential national property tax, which would replace stamp duty on owner-occupied homes, The Guardian reported. No final decision has been made, but it is thought this national tax could help build a model for local levies to replace council tax in the medium term. Buyers pay stamp duty under the existing framework, if they purchase property worth more than £125,000. The new levy would be paid by owner-occupiers on houses worth more than £500,000 when they sell their home, with the amount due determined by the value of the property and a rate set by the Government. A Treasury spokesperson said: 'As set out in the plan for change, the best way to strengthen public finances is by growing the economy – which is our focus. 'Changes to tax and spend policy are not the only ways of doing this, as seen with our planning reforms, which are expected to grow the economy by £6.8 billion and cut borrowing by £3.4 billion. 'We are committed to keeping taxes for working people as low as possible, which is why at last autumn's budget, we protected working people's payslips and kept our promise not to raise the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax, employee national insurance, or VAT.' Chancellor Rachel Reeves will unveil any changes to the Government's tax policy at a fiscal event, such as a budget. Former government adviser Tim Leunig has previously suggested replacing stamp duty land tax with a 'national proportional property tax' levied on house values greater than £500,000, in a paper published by the think tank Onward. At a rate of 0.54%, with a 0.278% supplement on values over £1 million, the levy 'would raise the same amount as stamp duty'. Sir Mel Stride, Conservative shadow chancellor, said: 'The Conservatives have warned that more taxes are coming and now reports are emerging that the family home is next in the firing line. 'This tax grab would punish families for aspiring to own their own home. 'Under Labour nothing is safe. Your home, your job, your pension – the Chancellor has all of it in her sights. 'Rachel Reeves will tax your future to pay for her failure.'
Wall Street Journal
9 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Churchill vs. the Far Right's Angry Historians
It isn't certain that Adolf Hitler would've lived within any kind of an agreement that granted the U.K. a true sense of immunity ('Why the Far Right Hates Churchill,' Review, Aug. 9). He hated the English, feared their navy and violated other treaties to try to shape the Continent as he imagined it. After Russia, which he never would have defeated because of their willingness to sacrifice lives and the fury of their winters, he likely would have turned to England. The far right's revisionism isn't the product of masterfully informed historians. It is the work of an uncredentialed and angry few in pursuit of a cause. Churchill, the product of more study and words than most leaders, is hard to defrock as Europe's savior, and the current spiteful crop won't succeed.
