SF criticises failure to tell family of death report

A failure to inform the family of Seamus Ludlow that the inquiry report into his murder by loyalists was to be published yesterday was criticised as "grossly insensitive" by Sinn Féin.

Sinn Féin's Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said it was "most disturbing" that the family only heard about the publication from a member of the media on Wednesday night.

Opposition parties also criticised the delay of more than a year in the publication of the report of the independent commission of inquiry led by Mr Justice Henry Barron.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said it was "regrettable" that the family of the Dundalk forestry worker, who was murdered in 1976, "has not been included in the process as openly as one would have wished".

He added, however, that he had made arrangements for a copy of the report to be sent to them immediately.

The chairman of the justice committee, SeaArdagh, "will put the family in the centre of the committee's concerns and will deal with the matter in a way that is fully cognisant of their interest in the matter".

Mr Ludlow's family claims there was collusion by the security forces in the North in the murder, for which nobody was prosecuted.

The Minister also said the report was delayed for "complex reasons" including the "identification of certain parties and factual information relating to those parties".

The Government "considered that one individual had to be given an opportunity to respond to the matters raised in the report. This was done but took some time", he said.

The issue was first raised by Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton who asked whether there was a "valid legal reason" for not contacting Mr Ludlow's family or giving them access to any of the information the report contained, before it was laid before the justice committee.

"Can the Minister give assurances that there are sound legal reasons for this and that there is no intention to keep the family out of the loop?" he asked.

Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte said the Taoiseach had promised in March that the report would be published within weeks.

Now that it was being published, "it seems regrettable that the family was not advised of the implications of this and invited to be present for the report's release through the committee".

The report "equally appears to raise more questions than it answers", according to Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, who called for a debate on the report.

"The Garda must have the incident fully investigated if we are to ensure confidence in the security forces on both sides of the Border."