Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“I welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement of an inquiry into the Omagh bomb. The families which have led a dignified campaign for truth and justice for so long are to be commended for getting to the Government to this point and I very much hope that it will result in full truth about the events of that dreadful day being brought to light.
“This inquiry will be a test for the Republic of Ireland . Having miserably failed to deliver truth or justice for many victims of Republican violence in the past, many will be watching to see how fully they cooperate with the Omagh inquiry.
“It is also worth saying, however, that for many families the government, far from announcing public inquires into the murders of their loved ones, is pursuing a course which will result in an end of the possibility of truth and justice through criminal prosecution. That is a travesty which sees the Government fail in one of its most basic and fundamental duties to its citizens.”