International Co-operation (Omagh Bombing Inquiry) Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-19
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Conor Murphy (SF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I move amendment No. 8:
In page 7, to delete lines 1 and 2 and substitute the following:
“(i) be likely to cause a specific, identifiable and substantial risk of prejudice to the sovereignty or security of the State, and only where such risk cannot reasonably be mitigated through redaction, protective measures, or partial disclosure,”.
Specifically on amendment No. 8, we have repeatedly highlighted how national security has frequently been cited in Britain to restrict disclosure in legacy investigations, often leaving families without full access to information about past events. This amendment reinforces that such an approach cannot apply here. It ensures that co-operation with the Omagh inquiry is not undermined by broad or undefined national security claims and that designated individuals can be questioned in a structured and transparent process. The purpose of this amendment is to support truth recovery, to provide clarity for those affected, and to guarantee that legitimate security considerations cannot be used to prevent the inquiry from receiving relevant evidence.
Amendment No. 9 is designed to ensure no misuse of national security as a rationale for not providing information to the inquiry. The amendment ensures that refusals of co-operation cannot rely on vague or speculative claims of security risk. It requires officials to set out clearly the specific harm they allege and to explain why less restrictive options would not suffice, strengthening transparency and accountability within the inquiry process.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:57+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-19