Omagh victims due apology over inquiry decision delay, says Foster
FAMILIES bereaved by the Omagh bombing deserve an apology over the length of time a court is taking to rule on a call for a public inquiry, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.
The case began in 2013 and hearings finished in July 2019, but relatives are still awaiting the judgment.
The Lord Chief Justice’s office said it was due to the assessment of “sensitive” documents.
The 1998 car bomb on Market Street killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured 220 others.
Among the victims was Michael Gallagher’s mechanic son Aiden, who was 21. The legal action was brought by Mr Gallagher, who has previously said the lives of the Omagh families are “on hold” while a judge decides whether to order a public inquiry.
Mr Gallagher took action after
former Secretary of State Theresa Villiers decided in 2013 not to give the go-ahead for one.
In October Mr Gallagher was told to expect movement before Christmas, but nothing happened. “From day one this has been dragged out,” he told the BBC.
“We are getting no younger. We want to do other things in life but we cannot move on until we get answers.”
He has raised the case with political parties and met with Mrs Foster in recent days, who has described the delay as “inordinate”.
The DUP leader added: “I do think that he, and all of the Omagh victims, deserve an apology.”
The Office of the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland said the judgment was “taking longer than initially anticipated”.
It said the delay was due to the “sensitive nature of the material involved in the case”.
NEW car sales in Northern Ireland are down 42% so far this year following the weakest February on record.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that at 2,657, the number of new cars being driven off forecourts last month was down 25% on February last year.
Across January and February, a total of 8,588 were sold, down 42% on last year.
Car dealerships have been closed to everything but online sales since December after the latest lockdown was introduced.
The Executive’s Pathway Out of Restrictions plan indicates that non-essential retail, such as car dealerships, can reopen in stage three of the five-stage plan, but no dates are given.
During February, the Ford Kuga was the most popular new car, with 92 driven off local forecourts, followed by the Nissan Qashqai on 90.
The Ford Fiesta was the third most popular on 88, followed by the Ford Focus on 82.
Ulster Bank chief economist Richard Ramsey said: “February saw another slump in new car sales, continuing the trend evident for most of the last year.
“Last month’s annual rate of decline in new car sales (25%) in Northern Ireland more than halved relative to January’s fall (54% year-on-year) but was still sizeable nonetheless.
“The weakest January on record has been followed by the worst February sales figures on record.
“As a result, sales volumes are down 42% year-on-year for the first two months of 2021.”
While sales of more environmentally friendly cars grew across the UK, it was not enough to rev up the wider market.
Mr Ramsey explained: “The phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 is seeing customers shun the biggest segment of the market.
“For example, sales of petrol and diesel cars in the UK market fell by almost 45% and 61% respectively in February relative to the same month last year.
“Meanwhile, the market share of environmentally friendly vehicles has more than doubled to 13%, with sales of battery vehicles surging by 49% year-on-year.
“Nevertheless, despite the surge in demand for green vehicles, the UK still posted its lowest February sales figures since 1959 when the iconic Mini was born.”
The SMMT said it had downgraded its forecast for the year, predicting that 1.83 million new cars would be sold during the year. It had previously forecast 1.89 million sales.
In the UK as a whole, new car sales fell by 36% during the reporting period, with only 51,000 new motors registered.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “February is traditionally a small month for car registrations.
“With showrooms closed for the duration, the decline is deeply disappointing but expected. More concerning is that these closures have stifled dealers’ preparations for March, with the expectation that this will now be a third successive dismal newplate month.
“Although we have a pathway out of restrictions, with rapid vaccine rollout and proven experience in operating click-andcollect, it is essential that showrooms reopen as soon as possible so the industry can start to build back better and recover the £23billion loss of the past year.”
Demand for diesel cars was down 61% last month, with petrol models declining by 45%.
‘It is essential that we reopen as soon as possible’