International Co-operation (Omagh Bombing Inquiry) Bill 2026: Report and Final Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-29
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Mark Ward (SF), Dublin Mid-West

I move amendment No. 7:
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,”.
Sinn Féin has 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 would ensure that co-operation with the Omagh inquiry was not undermined by broad or undefined national security claims and that designated individuals could be questioned in a structured, transparent process. The purpose of this amendment is to support truth and recovery, provide clarity for those affected, and guarantee that legitimate security considerations cannot be used to prevent the inquiry from receiving relevant evidence.
Amendment No. 8 is designed to ensure no misuse of national security as a rationale for not providing information to the inquiry. This amendment would ensure that refusals of co-operation could not rely on vague or speculative claims of security risks. It would require officials to set out clearly the specific harms they allege and to explain why less restrictive options would not suffice, strengthening transparency and accountability within the inquiry process.

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Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-29