Government refuses to extend Troubles Bill to include Omagh bombing

THE British Government has refused to amend the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to include the Omagh bombing, despite a bid by DUP leader Gavin Robinson to extend the legislation’s timeframe to cover the 1998 atrocity.

Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant told MPs he would be “resisting” the proposed amendment, which sought to extend the Bill’s cut-off date from April 10, 1998, the day the Good Friday Agreement was signed, to August 31, 1998.

The change would have brought the Omagh bombing, which took place on August 15, 1998, within the period defined by the legislation.

The Real IRA car bomb killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, and remains one of the deadliest atrocities of the Troubles.

Speaking during Commons committee stage on Monday, Sir Chris said the Government intended to retain the Good Friday Agreement date.

“I am going to be resisting that amendment. Whatever date you choose would be, in one sense, an arbitrary one,” he said.

“I think the best date that worked for the previous legislation … and would also work in relation to this legislation, is the date of the Good Friday Agreement, and that’s what we’re sticking to.”

However, acknowledging the significance of the Omagh bombing, Sir Chris said a public inquiry was ongoing and stressed the importance of the Irish Government cooperating fully with the process.

Mr Robinson, MP for Belfast East, expressed his “profound disappointment” at the Government’s decision to oppose the amendment.

He said the proposed change was not intended to benefit one side over another, but rather to help the families of those killed in Omagh obtain the answers they deserve.

MPs subsequently rejected the amendment by 327 votes to 169, a majority of 158.

The decision means the Troubles Bill’s existing timeframe will remain unchanged, excluding the Omagh bombing from the period covered by the legislation.